Love Actually
by Mr. Evil Eyes
Summary: It's been seven years since Shirokin Gakuen's 3-D graduated. Kumiko is pretty happy in life with her boyfriend , Shinohara Tomoya, or so she thinks until Sawada Shin shows up from the past and Kumiko slowly finds herself realize her hidden feelings...
1. Thinking of You

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters, least of all, Shin and Kumiko. Believe me, if I did, I'd make sure something happened to the pair in the end (even though the manga did make them official!). So, anyway, I'm a poor fan fiction writer whose only wish in life is to see Shin and Kumiko together. I assure you, I make no money doing this or anything else. That's why I say, please don't sue me. Thank you.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This fan fic is strictly drama based. I wrote this keeping Jun Matsumoto and Yukie Nakama in mind. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

**CHAPTER 1 – THINKING OF YOU**

"Ah, Yamaguchi-sensei!" squealed Fujiyama-sensei, "Tell us how your date with Shinohara-san was!!"

"Honestly, I'm so jealous of this woman!!" cried Kawashima-sensei, "I still can't believe how you got that totally perfect man all to yourself!"

"Relax, both of you," smiled Kumiko casually, "It's nothing really. I must say I'm lucky to have Shinohara-san."

"Ok, that's enough," said Shizuka abruptly, "We want to know about your date yesterday."

"It was nothing extraordinary, really," pleaded Kumiko, "It wasn't very different from our other dates so far. We just talked, had some food and then, Shinohara-san dropped me home."

"Has he proposed to you yet?" asked Kikuno.

"Not really," said Kumiko, "But perhaps he will, soon enough."

"Oh my god!" shrieked the nurse and the English teacher, "You're going to get married!!!"

"Stop shouting," said Kumiko looking around to make sure no one had heard them, "He hasn't said a word about marriage yet so I suggest you two wait until he does and then scream."

"Just imagine your wedding," said Shizuka ignoring Kumiko, "It's going to be so great when one of us finally gets married. You'll look really pretty in a kimono, so I suggest you go in for a Shinto ceremony. And you have to let us help you out with the wedding."

"Absolutely," said Kikuno before Kumiko could interrupt, "Let's see, maybe we could handle the guest lists. Apart from your and Shinohara-san's family and us, of course, whom would you want to invite? How about the Head teacher and his wife, Sachiko-san? I know they can be a bit troublesome at times but then they have been here all along. You could also invite the other teachers, you know, only the ones you want to invite, that is. How about your students? From your first class, 3-D?"

"Speaking of 3-D," continued Shizuka, "Have you heard from any of them recently?"

"No, not really. Except for Kuma," said Kumiko, "None of the others have bothered getting in touch. Uchi said he would call and stuff but he must've been busy. Same with the others, I guess."

"Hmmm…Noda did say he would stay in touch with me," said Shizuka.

"Yeah, you're his favorite, that's why, isn't it?" teased Kikuno, "What about Sawada-kun?" she asked Kumiko.

* * *

The school bell sounded. All the students left one by one. Kumiko remained behind in the class picking up her belongings. She looked at the last seat, right behind all the others in that classroom. Sawada's old seat. She couldn't help letting out a sigh. Ever since Kawashima-sensei and Fujiyama-sensei had brought up 3-D's topic, she couldn't help missing her favorite student. Although, as a teacher she wasn't supposed to have favorites but it was simply hard not to like Sawada. That boy was decent, sweet, caring, smart and extremely handsome.

'_Handsome_?' thought Kumiko, "Well, yeah, he definitely was."

Yet, he hadn't bothered to keep in touch. It had been seven whole years since she had last seen him, on graduation day. He had told her about his wish to go to Africa and help the people there. He may be busy but one can think he would bother to call at least onece in a while in all these years. Seven years really was a long time…

As Kumiko walked slowly towards the gate, she remembered the time when Sawada's sister had once come to meet him there. All the boys were eyeing her hungrily but when they all learnt she was Sawada's sister….well that was hilarious. Kumiko smiled to herself and walked on. How could it be that she had never thought of her old class even once before in all these seven years? If she could be forgetful, so could they. Probably, they hadn't thought of her just like she had temporarily forgotten them.

So much had happened in all this time, she thought as she stood at the bus stop and waited for the first bus home. After her class graduated, she had been extremely caught up in her teacher's job. Things went on this way for sometime until two years ago, Shinohara-san had called her out alone where he admitted to being in love with her for the past 5 years. Since then, they had been in a relationship which she was quite content with. After all, this was what she had always wanted.

'Yet,' said a tiny voice at the back of her mind as the bus arrived and she proceeded to mount it, 'You feel like something is missing. Something that you wished for still hasn't come to you.'

It was true. She had felt it quite often. She made way through all the people in the crowded bus and took up a seat near the window. Even though she did pine in the early 5 years, she thought it was because of Shinohara-san never returning her feelings. But even after they started to go out together, it was as if something still wasn't right. As if something still needed fixing. It was like those times when one of her students was in trouble and she couldn't rest until she had settled the matter. Just that this time, it seemed more like she had a problem, not her students. The nagging feeling in her heart, this always came when Shinohara-san tried to get a little intimate with her. She tried hard to convince herself that it was probably because she was shy. But a few encounters were enough to tell her it wasn't anything to do with being bashful. It wasn't like she hadn't kissed Shinohara-san. Of course, she had. However, it was always as if she were obliged to do so. As if she was doing it only to keep him happy. She even felt resentful of herself at times. At times, she felt as if her mind and body were working separately. She didn't even know what she wanted most of the time. It was like she was deeply in love with someone else with just one catch – she didn't know who she was in love with…

In her stupor, Kumiko alighted at the Sakurazakashita bus stop. She strolled at her own pace while still thinking about her feelings and why her heart leaped each time she thought about Sawada. 'No,' she thought, 'these two things are not connected in any way. Sawada has nothing to do with the way I feel about Shinohara-san.'

As she kept walking, preoccupied, Kumiko realized that she had got off at the wrong bus stop. She looked around helplessly but she couldn't remember which place this was. As she was trying to return to the stop, her cell phone rang loudly. She fumbled through her bag to get it. On managing to get it out finally, she snapped it open without looking at the incoming number.

"Hello?" said Kumiko, hoping it was someone who could help her.

"Kumiko-san," said Shinohara-san, "Are you free right now?"

"Yeah, I am," said Kumiko, "Why?"

"I was hoping we could meet up for a movie. Maybe, that new Takakura Ken movie you wanted to watch?"

"Oh, I'd love that. Listen, Shinohara-san, I got off at the Sakurazakashita bus stop," she said reading the sign, "Could you come pick me up from there?"

"Sure. I'll be there faster than you know it. I'm in the neighborhood anyway."

"Thanks."

Kumiko waited for about 5 minutes, keeping herself thoroughly entertained while looking around at all the people who were passing by, until she saw Shinohara's car coming up. She whipped out her phone from her bag and called home.

"Hello?" came Tetsu's voice, "Who's calling?"

"It's me, Tetsu," muttered Kumiko.

"Ojou? What's the matter?"

"Well, I have some plans for now. So, I might be late getting back home. Just tell Ojiichan, all right?"

"Ok. But are you going out with that Shinohara?" asked Tetsu, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah," blushed Kumiko, "Okay, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye. Watch your back!"

Shinohara stopped his car by the side of the pavement as Kumiko quickly snapped her phone shut and stuffed it into her bag and out of sight. He opened the door for Kumiko and she slid into the passenger seat. After she was seated, Shinohara looked at her, full in the face and said-

"What were you thinking, getting off at Sakurazakashita? You don't even know this place well."

"Yes, I know I was stupid. I was just thinking of my students…" said Kumiko but Shinohara cut her across saying, "You really have to stop being that nice. You'll end up getting lost one day."

"Hmm…yeah!" laughed Kumiko. Shinohara had now started to drive. She turned to him and said, "Mind if I turn on the radio?"

"Oh, not at all," replied Shinohara and drove on.

Kumiko turned on the radio and flipped through the stations. She eventually stopped at the one belting out, '_Sakura sake boku no mune no naka ni mebaneta…_'

"Yay!! Sakura Sake!! My favorite song!!" exclaimed Kumiko and started to sing along only to realize that Shinohara was still there.

"I didn't know you liked Arashi," he remarked, "That's a new thing I learnt about you today."

"What?" yelled Kumiko, "You don't like Arashi? I've never heard of anyone who doesn't like them…That's surprising."

"I have nothing against the band. I just don't enjoy their music that much. I think it's rather hyper and loud."

"Well, I still like them and I always will. But if it bothers you so much, I'll change the song."

"No, it's ok. You can listen to it. Don't worry about me."

* * *

"Thank you so much for the movie, Shinohara-san," thanked Kumiko, "It was really sweet of you to bear Arashi and Takakura Ken both on the same day!"

"Oh, don't thank me. I only hope you enjoyed yourself."

"Yes, I did. Thank you so much," she said, "Good night, now."

"Good night," he said and leaned forward to kiss her. She just allowed him to give her a little kiss and pulled away saying, "Well, I don't want any of my family watching that. So it'll have to be just this much."

"No problem," smiled Shinohara, "Bye. Take care. And next time, get off at Kyoudaizaka bus stop!"

"Yeah, sure," laughed Kumiko, "Bye now. Drive safe."

Kumiko walked a little and passed the gates of her house. She felt bad for Shinohara. He was such a sweet guy. He definitely deserved to have someone better than her as his girlfriend. She was just one stuck-up woman who didn't know what she wanted in life and was never satisfied with anything. She felt bad about this every time she had to kiss Shinohara or even hold his hand. Somehow, she could never do it freely without being nagged about God alone knew what. As she reached the entrance hall, she said loudly and clearly, "Tadaima!"

"Ojou, o-kaeri!" chorused both Tetsu and Minoru who were waiting out in the hall for her. Tetsu continued, "You won't believe who's inside, talking to Boss. He asked us to keep it a surprise for you. Wait until you see who it is."

Kumiko pushed open the door to find the person she had been yearning to see all day, chatting animatedly with her grandfather and sipping a cup of sake, with that dreamy look in his eyes…

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll be back with more as soon as I think this one has had enough reviews. So go on, click away and submit a review because that's the only way to satisfy my hungry soul. Keeping the blackmailing aside, I'd love it if you could review because you really don't know how much it would mean to me. All praise and criticism is welcome with open arms. Anonymous reviewers, please leave your e-mail ID's behind as I would love to get in touch with you. Thank you in advance. As for the Arashi thing, I really hope you won't mind it but they might keep appearing again and again throughout _Love Actually_. That is because MatsuJun is in Arashi and MatsuJun is in Gokusen, so I always thought the two should've gone along together. But since they didn't, never mind, I'm here now, I'll put them together. So if there are any Shinoharas out here, they'll have to bear with a few more Arashi mentions. Thank you and have a good day! Bye!!


	2. Rekindled Flames

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters; this is only a fanfic written for fun and to add some happiness into my miserable life. Writing this does not make me feel any better so please don't make me say it again and again. Also, I make no money doing this or anything else, so please don't sue me either. Thank you.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** A very special thanks to **yurika'hellgirl**, **Lola**, **drama-watching-queen**, **ultimatebishoujo21** and **Fima** for their delightful reviews. They really made my day! Big hugs to all of you. I would also like to thank all those people who added my story to their Favorite Story list, Story Alert list and to everyone who thought it was worth reading. Here I am with chapter two for you. Enjoy reading!

* * *

**CHAPTER 2 – REKINDLED FLAMES**

Kumiko stood at the door looking speechless. She tried moving her mouth but the words wouldn't come. Her eyes couldn't get enough of what she was looking at. He had grown into such a handsome young man, even more handsome than he used to be before. And he looked so desirable at the moment while he laughed with Ojiichan. She could stand there and watch him all day. His face had grown much sharper and manly. His eyes had a deep intensity that was only more prevalent now than it used to be before. He slowly put down the cup of sake that he had been drinking from and turned to look at Kumiko.

Kumiko blushed the instant Shin's eyes were on her. Her face quickly went crimson. For a minute they simply stared at each other, taking in each other's appearance. It was as if time had stopped. Kumiko wanted to say so many things, all at once, but once again she found herself wordless. Shin watched her silently. He wanted to hug her tightly and talk to her for hours, maybe even days about everything that they had missed out on while he was away. However, he seemed to be rooted to the ground, unable to move. He thought about how much might have changed in her life and how different she looked from the last time he'd seen her, seven years ago.

Kuroda looked at Shin first and then Kumiko. Smilingly, he cleared his throat which brought the lost couple back to earth. Kumiko beamed and rushed forward to ruffle his hair, which was shorter than it used to be before but still long enough.

"Sawada!!! I'm so happy to see you back!!"

"So am I, Yankumi," he replied, watching her intently, "You sure look different from the last time I saw you."

"So do you!" said Kumiko. On observing him closely, she saw that his cheeks were sunken in slightly, making him look all the more perfect, "You've turned into such a fine handsome young man in all these years," she said, unable to contain herself.

"It's so nice to see you two bonding this way," smiled Kuroda, "Now, if you two will excuse me for a few minutes, I can finish off some important work. And I'm sure you wouldn't want me around anyway."

"It's not like that, Ojiichan," protested Kumiko but Kuroda simply shook his head and with a quick wink to Shin, "You wouldn't want me to stick around and spoil it for you!" Saying so, he left the room.

As soon as Kumiko was sure that Kuroda was out of earshot of them, she launched herself forward and punched every bit of Shin that she could grab.

"Baka!" she said, "Sa-wa-da, you complete moron!!"

"What're you hitting me for?" asked Shin looking bewildered as he shielded his face with his arms.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" said Kumiko, her face turning livid," Are you?" she said slapping his arm madly, "Seven years have gone by and you return now. Seven years and I don't get a single call from you. If you thought making international calls was expensive, you could've written to me. But no, you-went-quiet-for-such-a-long-time!" she said punctuating every word with a slap, "And I have to return home to find you sipping sake with my grandfather after all this time. I'm sure you didn't think of me even once."

"That's not true," said Shin, his face losing all the good humor that had been there about a minute ago, "That's not true at all."

"What's not true?" said Kumiko looking impatient, "You didn't call me or try to contact me in any way. Isn't that true?"

"I admit that's true," said Shin taking a deep breath, "But to say I didn't think of you even once, that's not right. I thought of you every single day that I was away," he said gravely.

"Are you…" she started uncertainly, "I mean, you really thought of me everyday?"

"You bet I did," said Shin, still without a smile.

"But how can I be sure you did?" Kumiko wondered aloud, biting her lip.

"How can you be sure I didn't?" asked Shin playfully.

"That doesn't…"started Kumiko but stopped midway and grinned in a dazed sort of a way, "You got me there, Sawada."

"I'm sure I did, Yankumi," he said, "Now can we leave behind the hard feelings?"

"Sure. But I have one last thing to ask you…" said Kumiko slowly, "If you thought of me that much, why didn't you contact me?"

"I'll tell you that some other time, Ku-, I mean, Yankumi," said Shin, correcting himself hurriedly, "I promise I'll tell you about it sometime but not right now. It's a long story and it deserves full justice."

"You talk big these days, don't you, Sawada?" she said reaching out to ruffle his hair. 'It's as soft as ever,' she thought.

"You still think of me as a child, don't you?" asked Shin, looking hurt.

"Hmmmm…no. Not really. You've grown into quite a handsome young man, I see," she said, blushing a little and quickly looked away. Shin's eyes glinted and immediately, he looked more relaxed and pleased. Kumiko cleared her throat and continued, "But it was long since I'd done that!" she said ruffling his hair again at which Shin smiled, "I've missed you a lot, Sawada," she finished with a lingering sigh.

"I've missed you too," said Shin taking her hands into his own. A silent minute ensued. They gazed into each other's eyes and lot of unsaid things passed between them. Kumiko felt very strange. Before she could decide on how she was feeling, Shin broke their gaze and looked at her hands-

"Don't you go in for manicures? I mean one look at your hands and anyone can figure out how age is catching up with you. All the veins showing up like that! Don't you know about hand age…" but before he could complete his statement, Kumiko punched him playfully, "You'll never change, will you?" and dismissed whatever she was feeling before.

"Anyway, you tell me, Sawada, how come you're in Japan?"

"Well, I went to Africa after high school, as you know, and stayed there for around two years, after which, I shifted to the US. Initially, in America, I stayed with my aunt and completed my studies. Then, I moved out and now I work for an advertising agency."

"Advertising, huh?" repeated Kumiko, "That sounds really cool! So, wait a minute, does that mean you're here only for a holiday?" she asked, looking disheartened.

"Of course not, baka," said Shin, "I applied for a transfer. So now, I'm back to Japan."

"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Kumiko, "I'm so happy you're back! This calls for a celebration. Minoru," she called out, "Bring us some sake."

"At this rate, you'll get me drunk and I won't be able to go back home," said Shin flirtatiously.

"I don't mind. You can stay here with us," said Kumiko nonchalantly, missing Shin's flirting.

Minoru brought in more bottles of sake and settled them on the table. Kumiko poured out two cups and handed one to Shin.

"To your return to Japan," said Kumiko, raising her cups, "Kanpai!"

Shin nodded and their cups clinked.

"So, why did you transfer to Japan after five years of staying in the US? You might have already settled and gotten used to your life there, ne? And what about girls?" winked Kumiko, "Didn't you have any girlfriends in all of your five years?"

"I'm not interested in all that," said Shin shortly at which Kumiko clicked her tongue impatiently, "Oh please. You could get away with this kind of thing in high school. You're too old for it now. Haven't there been times when you've returned home all drunk, hot and bothered and wished for some wild fun, if you know what I mean," said Kumiko, blushing at her own words.

"I'm telling you I'm not that kind of a guy," said Shin trying hard not to laugh at what he had just heard, "I've never felt the need of a girlfriend simply because I've always been busy with whatever I've had to do, get it?"

"Whatever," said Kumiko, her cheeks turning slightly pink because of her sake, "It's fine if you don't want to tell me about your personal life."

'How do I tell you that you took over my body, mind and soul the day you became my homeroom teacher at Shirokin Gakuin?' thought Shin while watching her with a naughty look in his eyes.

"Sawada? Snap out!" said Kumiko shaking him, "What's the matter? Are you ok?"

"Uh-yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something I had to do for work."

"Ok. Well, what I was asking you was why you came back to Japan after this long."

"That's because I figured it would be better to come back home," said Shin matter-of-factly, "So, next thing I knew, I was talking to my boss for a transfer to our Japan branch."

"That's nice. Are you staying with your parents then?"

"Of course not! I'm staying at my old apartment."

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that!" chuckled Kumiko, "Is it still as empty?"

"No, it's better furnished now but you might still call it empty," grinned Shin, "Why don't you come over sometime?"

"I'd love to," said Kumiko, her face turning blotchy, "But I forgot to ask you, when did you get back?"

"Just yesterday," replied Shin.

"You waited a whole day to come and see me," pouted Kumiko. Shin looked at her right in the face. She was drunk.

"Promise me you won't forget me again, Shin," said Kumiko, her words slurring a little. Shin's heart skipped a beat. She had called him 'Shin'.

"I promise," he said, squeezing her hand, "I won't forget you ever again."

"Hmmm…good! How about we go for dinner sometime this week?"

"Sure, why not?" said Shin feeling sure he would have to remind her of their plan tomorrow itself.

"Dinner it is!" said Kumiko with a tiny nod, "Yoroshii!" she said and fell onto the table, knocking some empty sake bottles to the floor.

"Hey," said Shin pulling her up, "You shouldn't have had so much to drink."

"Ah, that's ok. Happens everyday…"

"No," said Shin firmly, "It's time to put you to bed."

"Stay over, Sawada," murmured Kumiko at which Shin felt his short-lived happiness die down, "I can't let you drive back when you're drunk."

"I know. But I can't stay, Yankumi," said Shin, "I'm calling over my driver to come and pick me up."

"Hmmmmm…" said Kumiko smacking her lips as she downed another cup of sake.

"That's enough!" said Shin grabbing her hand, "You're not having another glass."

"You're no one to tell me that, Sawada," she argued and tried to push his hand away but ended up falling into his lap and passing out.

Shin looked at her pitifully for a moment. He then stroked her hair. She looked so beautiful right then. He could watch her for years without being disturbed. It was as if she were filling up all his senses. As he ran his fingers through her sheet of hair, he noticed how much more pretty she looked after all these years. She wasn't an angel just in his dreams.

'Here's my angel sleeping on lap,' thought Shin as he watched her fondly and lovingly.

Kumiko wore her hair a little shorter than before. Her cheeks were slightly hollowed, giving her the perfect look. She looked a lot more womanly now and her features had matured. When she shifted in his lap a little, Shin came back to reality. Slowly, he raised Kumiko's head and placed it on the spare cushion lying nearby.

"Tetsu-san," called Shin as he went out into the corridor, "Could you come and give me a hand here?"

Tetsu followed Shin into the room where Kumiko was sleeping soundly.

"We'll take her to her room," assured Tetsu.

"That'll be fine," said Shin, "But she really mustn't drink this much."

"She's been drinking a lot lately," said Tetsu sadly, "Every night after dinner, she sits alone, sometimes accompanied by Boss, and drinks away 'til she passes out. I can betcha I've even heard her crying occasionally."

"Why? Everything's ok between her and Shinohara-san, isn't it?" inquired Shin looking disturbed.

"I dunno, she never really tells us all that," said Tetsu shaking his head, "I've only heard her saying stuff like, 'I don't understand what's wrong with me' and 'I wish I knew what makes me happy' to herself. And I don't understand what sense that makes."

"It's ok, Tetsu-san. Don't worry, I'm here now."

"Thank you, Shin-san. I didn't say too much, did I?"

"Relax," smiled Shin, "I won't tell Yankumi."

"Thank you," bowed Tetsu, "How are you going home?"

"I'll just call up my driver."

"Would you like to wait outside until he gets here?"

"I'd like that very much, thank you."

After Shin made his phone call, Tetsu escorted him to the living room where Kuroda was sitting alone smoking and humming an old shamisen tune.

"Ah, Shin," said Kuroda jovially, "Come and sit by me."

"Sure," he said and joined the Kumichou.

"So, how was talking to Kumiko?" asked Kuroda after taking a long drag.

"I couldn't learn much about what she's going through right now," replied Shin, "She kept talking about me, something we had anticipated beforehand. But we're meeting again this week for dinner. Hopefully, I'll be able to learn more about what's happening to her."

"Shin," said Kuroda, "You're a fine, decent young man and I trust you a lot. Kumiko is in love with Shinohara and I don't want to create any resistance. I want Kumiko to be happy in life but even though she's with the supposed love of her life, why isn't she happy?"

"Don't worry, Ojiisan," reassured Shin, "I'll try my best to find out what's wrong."

"Arigatou gozaimasu," said Kuroda, "I hope everything you wish for comes true."

"Thank you, Ojiisan. I need your blessings."

Kuroda laughed and placed his hand on Shin's head. "God bless you, child."

Just then, Shin's cell phone rang-

"Yes, Yamada-san?"

"I've reached, Sawada-san. I'm outside the house."

"I'm coming," said Shin and hung up.

"Ojiisan, I have to go now," said Shin bowing, "It was lovely meeting you after this long. Thank you very much for having me over."

"Ah, it's nothing. You'll have to keep coming over now, though!"

"Sure, I will. Take care until then. Oyasumi nasai."

"Oyasumi. And watch your back," said Kuroda with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I will."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry for the delay in putting up chapter two. I had a lot of things going on this month. Chapter two was actually supposed to be much longer but I figured people wouldn't enjoy reading that much all at one time. So, I decided to cut it short. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you did, don't forget to leave those sweet reviews. All praise and criticism will be welcomed with open arms. I'll be back with chapter three as soon as you've added enough reviews for this chapter. So, go on, tell me what you think about the fic. ^^


	3. A Confession

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters. Honestly, do you think I'd waste my time writing fan fiction if I did?

* * *

**Author's Notes:** A very special thanks to **drama-watching-queen**, **yurika'hellgirl**, **blueprincess16**, **jo** and **tokiohotelluver2** for their fabulous reviews! Big bear hugs to all of them for making me so happy! Reviews help me to improve and also tell me if people are reading my story! Also, a thanks to all the people who added my story to their Favorite list, Story Alert list or those who added me to their Favorite Author list (I love you all!) or even simply read my story. I hope you've all liked it so far and now, let me not take any more of your time. Here's chapter three. Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 3 – A CONFESSION **

'I think it won't be all that difficult carrying out what I've intended,' thought Shin as he made his bed. If his assumption of the way Shinohara and Kumiko's relationship was going was right, then there was just one little thing that could go wrong in his plan…

As he lay down on his bed and turned off the bedside lamp, he thought about how much he had missed Kumiko. There wasn't a day he hadn't thought of her. But he had had to play his cards very carefully. Back when he was in high school especially. Had she even got the slightest idea then that he harbored feelings for her, she wouldn't let him come near her. What had frightened him the most was that, what if he returned to Japan and found that she still considered him a high school kid? Still, his meeting with her at least cleared that problem…

Back when he'd been in high school, he wasn't sure if what he felt for Kumiko was love. Something inside him kept saying that it was probably just attraction. During his time in Africa, he was constantly plagued by her thoughts, no matter where he went or what he did…

When he shifted to the U.S. two years later, he tried to test himself. He had thought of calling Kumiko when he was staying with his aunt. But he was afraid that hearing her voice after all that time would make him weak. That it would crack all the barriers he had built around himself to keep in control his emotions for her.

He had tried his best to forget her; to wipe out every single memory he had of hers. This might have worked too if only his aunt hadn't found his diary and cornered him. The diary he had wanted to destroy but hadn't had the heart to…

'Whatever happens, happens for the best,' thought Shin as he rolled over on his side.

That day, when he had gotten back from college, he was shocked to find his aunt admiring Kumiko's picture. That one; he had taken it while they were at the Onsen resort for their graduation trip. It had to be one of her best photos ever. His aunt had looked up to find him standing there, looking dumbstruck. She only looked more surprised. He knew why that was. He had always denied having any girlfriends whenever she brought up the topic. That's why he was sure she was more surprised than she was letting on…

"Shin," she said looking from Kumiko's picture to his face and back to her picture, "Is this Kumiko?" she asked after a pause.

"Yes," he nodded, knowing there was no way out of this.

And before he knew it, he broke down and poured out the entire story to his aunt and seeking advice. She listened attentively and patted his shoulder sympathetically. She had asked him to take it easy and not think about it much.

"If she's meant to be, she'll come to you eventually," reassured his aunt.

"Thank you so much, Obasan. But what if she doesn't love me?"

"Leave the rest for time to tell. Trying to forget every memory of hers would be a cruel thing to do. Remember, your memories are your treasure. Erasing them now is something you will regret later. And anyway, she's changed you so much. I'm sure she's too wonderful a person to forget."

"You really think I've changed?" Shin asked, sounding amused.

"Of course you have, Shin. You're a whole new person now!"

"I suppose I am," smiled Shin, "Thanks for all the advice. I'm glad you didn't react the way my parents would."

"Oh…of course I wouldn't behave like them! I'm your fun aunt Michiko, right?" she said watching him tenderly as she got up to go to the kitchen, "By the way, Shin, I'm glad you've learned to open up. At least you've realized that sharing your problems with others leaves behind a chance for them to be solved," saying so; she gave a tinkling laugh and went away.

* * *

Shin woke up the next morning at daybreak. He got off his bed and went towards the window. Pushing aside the drapes, he let the early sunlight pour into his room. He opened the window and felt the cool breeze touch his face lightly. Smiling at the big orange orb that hung outside his window, Shin turned away and got dressed for the day.

* * *

"Ojou! Ojou, wake up! It's time for school!" called Tetsu at which Kumiko turned and rubbed her eyes before opening them slowly.

"Ah, it's another beautiful day," said Kumiko to herself and she got out of bed.

As she showered and got dressed, Kumiko wondered if last night had been a dream. She had returned home from a date with Shinohara to find Sawada talking to Ojiichan.

'It must've been a dream,' decided Kumiko, 'Such wonderful stuff never happens to me.'

When she came down the stairs, she was greeted, as usual, by Tetsu and Minoru.

"Tetsu?" said Kumiko, deep in thought, "Did Sawada come here last night?"

"You bet he did!" replied Tetsu with a smile, "It was nice to see him after this long."

"So it wasn't a dream after all," muttered Kumiko and settled down to have breakfast.

"I'm leaving!" announced Kumiko after she was done with breakfast. As she left the house and walked towards the bus stop, she thought about her meeting with Shin the previous night. She could only remember flashes of their conversation.

'I don't even remember the last thing I said to him!' thought Kumiko, 'All that keeps coming to my mind is brushing away Sawada's hand and…and…!' Kumiko's face started changing color rapidly. She blushed to the roots of her hair. She could remember turning in Shin's…

"I can't believe I slept in Sawada's lap!" screamed Kumiko at which all the people at the bus stop turned to look at her.

"_We're gonna step and go to a brand new story…_" Kumiko began to hum, looking around and whistling casually…

* * *

"Shinohara-san said that we could all tag along!" defended Kawashima-sensei.

"It has been very long since we had a Goukon (**A/N:** Goukon means Group Date)," supported Fujiyama-sensei.

"When did I say you couldn't come along?" asked Kumiko, astonished.

"Oh, we understand you wouldn't want us intruding. It's your date with Shinohara-san, after all," the petite nurse said.

"I have no problem, really," said Kumiko, "I'd love it if you came along. I miss our Goukon days too."

That evening-

"I'm so glad you could all make it!" said Shinohara raising his glass, "A toast to the old group!"

"Kanpai!" chorused Kumiko, Shizuka, Kikuno and Kashiwagi.

"I miss drinking with all of you," said Shinohara, "Don't you, Kumiko?"

"Huh? Uh-Hai!" replied Kumiko, lost in thought. It was funny how she felt now. After days, she felt relaxed. Normally, it wasn't like she didn't enjoy herself with Shinohara. She loved the intellectual conversations they had, the wonderful things they talked about. Yet, somewhere, she had no peace, no feeling of completeness when she got back home. Wasn't she supposed to feel good after spending time with someone she loved so much? But after every date, she found herself returning home with a heavy feeling in her heart. And when she didn't feel that way, she felt uneasy at the date itself; like wanting to get up and run away. And that wasn't all because of the conversation either…

As Kumiko sipped her sake, she thought about how suffocated she felt when she was out with Shinohara at other times. No doubt she liked him a lot; he was one of the sweetest people she had ever met, not to mention, the nicest and also the most handsome. Wait, did she really think he was the most handsome guy she'd ever known? Just then, Sawada's face flashed into her mind.

'What was that?" thought Kumiko, accidentally choking on some sake.

"Are you alright?" asked Shinohara looking concerned and patting her back.

"Yes-I'm-fine," coughed Kumiko, "Thank you." She turned to look at Shinohara. He was smiling at her softly. Slowly he took her hands into his own and a wave of sadness passed over Kumiko. She realized how nice he was and he deserved to be happy. And she would try her best to give him his share of happiness.

"Ooooooooohhhhhhhh!!!" squealed Shizuka, "Look at the dream couple! They're getting all hand-holdy and lovey-dovey!!"

"Awwwwww…!" exclaimed Kikuno, "Aren't they adorable?" she said to Kashiwagi, who simply nodded, his face hidden in the shadows.

Kumiko beamed at Shinohara and said, "Thank you for all the concern, Shinohara-san."

"You don't have to thank me for it. I'm concerned about you because I love you," he replied.

"And I love you," said Kumiko despite the stone dropping in her stomach, "I'm very sorry for behaving strange and weird."

"But I have never found your behavior strange or weird," laughed Shinohara, "You worry too much, Kumiko."

Yes. Maybe that was it. Maybe she did worry too much. She worried day and night about different aspects of their relationship; from their compatibility to his being more matured than her. His choice of movies, books, music was way different from hers but that was no reason to find faults with him, was it? Just because he enjoyed romance movies instead of Yakuza ones, just because he didn't like Arashi. Then again, there were times when she felt miserably stupid as compared to him. Still, that did not justify her giving him such a hard time.

'I will try and be a better girlfriend to Shinohara-san from this moment on!' pledged Kumiko in her mind, 'Fight-o, oh!'

Still, why had she thought of Sawada sometime back? He had absolutely nothing to do with her love life as far as she knew. She shuddered at that thought. He was her student after all. It would be awful if she were to fall in love with him.

'_He's your ex-student_,' a tiny voice in her head said.

What was she thinking? Sawada maybe more handsome than Shinohara but that didn't mean she was in love with him. It would be best if she didn't think of all this unnecessary nonsense and simply concentrated on getting rid of whatever problems she was having in her present relationship.

"So, Kumiko, I heard your student Sawada returned to Japan," said Shinohara, looking at her interestedly.

"Yes, he did," she replied, "Just two days ago."

"Ah, I see. So is he here for a holiday or permanently?"

"He's shifted base here. He works for an advertising firm."

"That sounds great. You must be really proud of him, right?"

"I am. Teachers always feel good after they see their students doing well."

"Hmmm…I suppose that's true," he said, "What do you think, Fujiyama-sensei?"

"Oh, I feel the same way," replied Shizuka, "If I were to meet any of my ex-students now and learnt that they were doing well, I'd feel very nice myself."

"Teachers are like parents of students," quipped Kawashima-sensei, "Just like a parent worries about the future of their child, a good teacher worries about the future of all their students."

'That's right,' thought Kumiko, 'A teacher is like a parent to the student. I should never, ever forget that.'

"That's not always true, Kawashima-sensei," said Shizuka, "I mean, in some cases, teachers are like parents. Not always, though. If they were, how would you justify teacher-student relationships?"

"I would call them illicit," proclaimed Shinohara leaning back in his chair.

"What?" said Shizuka, "Why?"

"Because I am strongly against them. I believe a teacher should help in a child's growth, not go and fall in love with the child. The student is after all younger than the teacher and thus immature. So, he may not have the sense to understand what's right and what's not. The teacher should be mature enough to understand that such relationships are not only considered bad in society but they are also immoral."

"Falling in love is immoral?" asked Kikuno looking interested.

"I didn't say falling in love was immoral. I just said that a teacher falling in love with their student is immoral in society."

"And now why do you think so?" questioned Shizuka, "I don't see anything wrong in a teacher being in love with her student. What if she's found the right person in her student?"

"How can her student be the right person?" scowled Shinohara.

"Why can't he be the right person?" said Kikuno.

"I don't know. You may call me narrow-minded but I just find this too hard to accept."

"Maybe," started Shizuka but Kumiko cut her across saying, "Now, now…why are we having such a heated discussion on an outing that's meant for our entertainment?"

"You're absolutely right," nodded Shinohara, "Let's not fight when we've met after so long."

'_Why did the damn conversation have to head towards teacher-student relationships?' _thought Kumiko, '_Just when I decided to start being nice to Shinohara-san! It's not as if I like Sawada. Of course, not. But then…No! I'm going to be nice to Shinohara-san!!"_

Kumiko held Shinohara's hand under the table. He looked at her, surprised and then beamed. As they gazed into each other's eyes, Kikuno said appreciatively, "Just look at them! They can't take their eyes off each other! Kawaii ne, Kashiwagi-san?"

"Hmmm…yes. I've never seen Shinohara-san this happy before," said Kashiwagi, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and loosening his tie.

"Oh! I didn't know you were so emotional!" said Shizuka, her words slurring a little.

"Don't cry, Kashiwagi-san," reassured Kumiko.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home, Kashiwagi?" asked Shinohara looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, I don't wanna go anywhere!" exclaimed Kashiwagi, "Let me say this today," he stood up and faced all the diners, who turned to look at him. He looked at Kumiko and in a loud voice he said,

"Kumiko, I love you. I have always loved you. I wish I could have told you this before. I'm sorry if I'm too late and have hurt you…" saying so, he passed out and collapsed on the floor.

Kumiko felt all of the restaurant's eyes upon her as she sat there red-faced and appalled. She wanted to say many things but her disgust wouldn't let the words come…

* * *

**Author's Notes:** So that was the end of chapter three. How did you guys like it? Tell me what you think by dropping in those precious reviews. This entire chapter was originally part of chapter two but I think you guys would be seriously bugged if I wrote it this long. Anyway, FYI, the song Kumiko sang at the bus stop when people looked at her all weird was Arashi's _Step and Go_ (I told you I'd be mentioning them more). I'm sorry for the delay I've caused in putting up this chapter. You see, I had many things going. Firstly, my eye operations and then my birthday on the 18th of this month. And also, my reconciliation with old friends after a year and a half of fighting. All this calls for a celebration, ne? Never mind me, if you liked the story at all, please review. Your reviews will only add more joy in my recently 'back-on-track' life. Thanks!


	4. A Date to Remember

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters, least of all, Shin and Kumiko. So, please don't make me feel worse by repeating this to you every time I cheer up and want to add a chapter to my dear fan fiction project!

* * *

**Author's Notes: **A special thanks to **yurika'hellgirl** and **drama-watching-queen** for their wonderful reviews!! Come here both of you; let me give you a tight hug!!! Also, I'd like to thank everyone who read my story, added it to their Favorite list or their Alert list. Thanks for all your support. Now, without wasting anymore time, here's chapter 4!

* * *

CHAPTER 4 – A DATE TO REMEMBER

"Shinohara-san," said Kumiko with an odd expression, "Please take Kashiwagi-san home."

"Huh?" said Shinohara looking spaced out, "Yes, yes of course. I'll take him home right away. I'll come back later to pick you ladies up and drop you home. Is that ok?"

"That'll be ok," assured Kikuno looking very alert despite being drunk, "We'll wait right here."

"Thank you," said Shinohara and walked over to where Kashiwagi had fallen. Shaking him awake, Shinohara put Kashiwagi's arm around his neck and lumbered away from the table. But midway, Kashiwagi slumped and fell down before they could reach the door. Kumiko got up and rushed to help Shinohara carry Kashiwagi to the car.

"Thank you so much for your help," said Shinohara with a weak smile, "I apologize for all this!"

"Don't bother about that!" said Kumiko shaking her head, "I just want to ask you; how long have you known this?" The look in her eyes said it all. She was talking about Kashiwagi's confession.

"Seven years," replied Shinohara, not seeing the point in lying, "I just didn't know he still harbored his old feelings. And I never expected him to confess to you like this," he finished, his eyes crinkling. Kashiwagi's confession had put a new and strange worry into his mind. He clearly remembered the day when Kashiwagi had admitted to liking Kumiko (**A/N:** Refer episode 12 of the drama). They hadn't been alone that day. Tetsu was with them. But that wasn't what he was worried about. It was that other person with them…

Could this be the reason Sawada had returned to Japan after seven years? To confess his long, undying love for Kumiko? If so, he was late. She was already taken. Anyway, he had been her student. There was minuscule chance of her returning Sawada's feelings. And why would she? She loved him, Shinohara-san.

"You want me to come along and drop this guy home?" questioned Kumiko as she watched Shinohara apprehensively. His temporary escape to his thoughts had apparently not gone unnoticed.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll drop him off at my apartment. He can go home tomorrow morning. You go back and wait with Fujiyama-sensei and Kawashima-sensei," said Shinohara at which Kumiko gave him a tiny bow and went back to join the two women.

As she approached the table, she saw the nurse and the English teacher whispering away into each other's ears excitedly.

"I'm back!" announced Kumiko resuming her seat at the table.

"Oh, we were just talking about how totally unexpected this confession was," said Kikuno.

"Kashiwagi-san must really like you," gasped Shizuka.

"Did you two know he had feelings for me beforehand?" asked Kumiko, shooting them a dangerous look.

"Well, he hasn't ever made an attempt to hide his feelings for you, has he?" said Kikuno wearing a bemused expression.

"You call that real emotion?" scoffed Kumiko, "I just thought he was a bit persistent and perverse."

"Hmmmmm…at the beginning he was," said Shizuka, "However, he developed a genuine liking for you later."

"What's surprising to us is," said Kikuno leaning back in her chair, "that he confessed what he felt for you. In spite of you being Shinohara-san's girlfriend at present, you know."

"Yeah, he wouldn't make a pass at a longtime colleague and friend's girlfriend unless he thinks you're his true love," added Shizuka.

"True love?" repeated Kumiko scathingly, "You two watch way too many romance movies!"

"Oh please," frowned Kikuno, "Don't tell me you don't believe in true love? In long, everlasting love?"

"I'm sorry to say, I don't," replied Kumiko shortly.

"You don't think your love for Shinohara-san will last forever?"

"See, I just don't think you can love one single person crazily for all of eternity or whatever, as they say in those idiotic romance movies."

"Then it's simple," shrugged Kikuno, "You still haven't met that person. Shinohara-san is probably not the man of your dreams."

"But this doesn't make sense!" exclaimed Kumiko, "You cannot love someone just as much as you did after a few years."

"Yes, you can," contradicted Shizuka, "If you can't, there was probably more lust in your relationship."

"Tell me honestly," said Kumiko sounding impatient, "Have either of you found anyone who loves you as much?"

"You think I'd sit here and waste my time with you if I had?" retorted Shizuka.

"I haven't found that person yet," said Kikuno staring into space, "But I'm sure he exists and is out there somewhere."

"Just look at you two!" said Kumiko, "You sound like princesses out of a fairy tale! I think, in today's world, real love is really rare. People are together because they're probably benefiting from their relationship. Everything's based on practicality."

"That may be the case with some or, as you say, most people. But you cannot deny that there are people who truly love each other and that love does exist. It's like if you believe it does, it does. If you don't have faith, you can hardly complain about there being no love."

"Maybe you're right," concluded Kumiko, tired of the discussion.

"Going back to what you said earlier," said Shizuka, "About the meager chances of you loving Shinohara-san forever."

"What?" said Kumiko, trying to remember what might've slipped out of her mouth before, '_Shoot! What did I say_?' she thought uneasily. What she said to them was, "I might've said something stupid. What I meant was that it's too early to say if our love will last forever."

"They say that soul mates have a kind of a connection the first time they meet," said Kikuno.

"That's a stereotype," defended Kumiko, "That kind of thing, you know, the world going silent and you sense vibes from your love, only happens in movies. Real life soul mates may not realize that they're meant to be together until very long."

"You have a point there," said Shizuka and the three women were silent for a long time until they saw Shinohara returning.

"Are we ready to leave, ladies?" he asked, looking around at the three of them.

"Yes," chorused the women. After they were done paying their checks, they followed Shinohara to his car.

"Kumiko," said Shinohara as he slipped behind the wheel, "You look disturbed. Is something the matter? If it's about Kashiwagi, I apologize a thousand times for that!"

"It's alright, Shinohara-san," said Kumiko soothingly, "I'm not upset about anything. As for Kashiwagi-san, he was drunk. Had he been ok, I'm sure he wouldn't have said all that." She said looking into his eyes. Shinohara smiled softly and bent forward to kiss her. This time, Kumiko had made up her mind and thus, had no qualms about kissing him. She put her arms around his neck and edged forward. At last, this kiss would bridge whatever distance had come in between both of them. Except…

"Ahem!" Shizuka cleared her throat reminding the couple of their presence while Kikuno shook with silent laughter.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" exclaimed Kumiko, hastily unwrapping her arms from around Shinohara's neck, "I forgot you two were still here," she blushed.

"That's evident," said Kikuno, "So, whose place is it going to be tonight? Shinohara-san's, I think, because you stay with your family, don't you?"

"I can't understand what you're talking about," said Kumiko, sounding clueless.

"I'm sure Shinohara-san can," laughed Kikuno and they all turned to face Shinohara, who turned beetroot red.

"We've made a pact," he said, his voice shaking a little, "We plan not to get into that until we're married," he coughed.

"Ooooooohhhhh!" squealed Shizuka and Kikuno and burst into hysterical giggles, "Isn't that typical?"

"What's typical?" questioned Kumiko blushing and looking annoyed at the same time.

"Typical of you to make Shinohara-san wait like that," remarked Shizuka while Kikuno nodded in agreement.

Shinohara blushed even more and turned to start driving while Kumiko glared at the two women, still giggling silently.

* * *

The bell signaling the end of all lessons for the day sounded somewhere. The classroom doors burst open and the students ran out. The floor shook with their weight. Kumiko dragged herself out of the classroom and down the corridor. She took a deep breath as she descended the stairs. Waving goodbye to her colleagues, she tottered out of the gate, at a snail's pace.

"Another tiring day!" said Kumiko to herself, massaging her arms as she walked. She took a quick look at her watch. "No plans for today. I'm going straight home…" she thought. Just then, her cell phone rang.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Hey gorgeous," came a deep voice at the other end, "You forgot your date with me, didn't you?"

Kumiko looked at the screen of her phone, flabbergasted. She didn't recognize the number. Probably it was some stupid stalker. Still shocked, she put the phone to her ear and said-

"Look buddy, I don't know who you are or what you're talking about. I don't have a date with anyone tonight, least of all, you and nothing, I repeat, nothing gives you the right to call me 'gorgeous'," she stated firmly.

To her amazement, the person on the other end burst out laughing. Kumiko pouted and said, "What's the matter with you, dude? Who are you? Want me to register a complaint against you in the police? My boyfriend works for the Fuzz." At this, the person laughed even louder and said-

"No one in their right mind will ever call you 'gorgeous,' baka!"

"Shin?" exclaimed Kumiko but quickly corrected herself, "I mean, Sawada? You rascal! Playing jokes on your dear old Yankumi like that!"

"Dear old?" repeated Shin incredulously, "Yeah, well, old…maybe. Dear…definitely not!"

"Sawada!!!"

"Just kidding!" laughed Shin good-naturedly, "Of course, you're dear. Anyway, I'm sure you forgot about your dinner plans with me tonight, didn't you?"

"Oh my God!" interjected Kumiko slapping her forehead, "Yes, I totally forgot! I'm so sorry! I don't know if I'll be able to make it today."

"Why?" inquired Shin, "Got a date with Shinohara?" he added bitterly.

"No, I'm not doing anything," explained Kumiko, "It's just that I forgot all about it and now it's a little late, so…"

"Shut up. I'm coming to pick you up. Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm still outside Shirokin…"

"Great. I wanted to pass by school anyway," said Shin sounding satisfied, "Wait right there, I'm coming to pick you up."

"Oh-kay!" surrendered Kumiko and snapped the phone shut.

After a minute or so, Kumiko remembered to call home –

"Moshi moshi?" said Tetsu.

"Tetsu, I'll be a bit late coming back. I forgot I had plans for tonight."

"With Shin-san, right?" said Tetsu happily, "But Ojou, we knew you were going out with him tonight. How come you forgot?"

"So he told all of you?" asked Kumiko sounding surprised, "He told all of you that we were going out tonight?"

"Actually, he just told Boss. Boss asked Minoru and me not to wait for you for dinner."

"Oh, ok. I see. Fine, then. I'll see you later."

Shin reached there in about 10 minutes. As his car neared the gate, Kumiko waved to him. Shin grinned and shook his head disbelievingly.

"Nice car, huh?" remarked Kumiko as she opened the door of the passenger seat and sat next to Shin.

"Yeah, thanks. What was with that wave though?"

"Oh, that was just in case you didn't see me."

"It's hard not to notice you, Yankumi," smirked Shin, "And, is _this_ how you come to dinner with an old friend?" he asked, "Let me alter your appearance," he said as he took off her glasses and untied her pigtails. Kumiko watched him with an astonished look.

"There," he said as he took one proper look at her, "You look so much better now!"

"You think so?" Kumiko wondered aloud, "I don't even meet Shinohara-san like this."

"It's ok; you don't have to," said Shin, "I like you this way 'coz your Yakuza side shows a little. And you look pretty. So, this can be your special look for me!"

"Ah! You think I look pretty?" queried Kumiko with a smirk, "You've never complimented me before!"

"I was stupid boy back then," said Shin, "Now, I'm a truthful young man."

"Awwwww…!" said Kumiko ruffling his hair, "if you like it this way, I'll keep it in mind. You won't have to tell me to look like this again!"

"Ok, now quit the act," said Shin quietly, "Where's Yankumi?"

"The one with the pigtails or the one without them?"

"Without," he replied.

"Sure."

* * *

At the restaurant-

"I didn't know your choice of restaurants was this good," remarked Kumiko, "I must say I'm impressed. Your dates will be too."

"I don't want any dates right now," said Shin, "And I'm glad you liked this place."

"Of course I did and what's with this, 'I-don't want-any-dates-right-now' business? What's with you? Why haven't you gotten yourself a girlfriend in all these years?"

"Simple – because I don't want one," replied Shin coolly, "Anyway, what do you care if I've got a girlfriend or not?"

"It's because you're a good looking guy and you don't look nice alone," reasoned Kumiko picking up the menu.

"And will you be happy if I do get a girlfriend?" asked Shin raising an eyebrow.

"Obviously I'll be happy, Sawada," said Kumiko looking flustered, "Why won't I be happy to see you happy?"

"Who says I'll be happy?"

Kumiko fell silent at that. Her retort died in her mouth. She hadn't expected him to say this. She braced herself and said-

"Then, I'm not sure you're normal," said Kumiko and burst into giggles but stopped when she saw the grave look on Shin's face, "What else do you expect me to think, Sawada?"

"Forget it, you'll never understand," said Shin angrily, snapping the menu shut.

"I'm so sorry, Sawada!!" apologized Kumiko, "I'm very sorry," she said grabbing his right hand. Shin looked up.

"I shouldn't have joked about this," said Kumiko, "Tell me, what's wrong? Why do you prefer staying alone? There has to be a reason behind it."

"I said, forget it, Yankumi."

"Try me, Sawada," she said with a determined look on her face. Shin studied her face for a whole minute. Finally, he said-

"It's because I'm in love with someone I cannot have."

"Oh….forbidden love?"

"Yeah," replied Shin with a bemused expression, "So, I think I'm gonna stay alone forever."

"Now, now, don't say that!" said Kumiko soothingly, "You'll either get the girl you love or you'll eventually get over her and find someone else who's better."

"I hope the former comes true."

"Just remember one thing, Sawada – What has to happen, will happen. If she's meant to be with you, she will come to you."

"I hope she does…she's perfect! It would be a shame if things didn't work out," said Shin exhaling hard.

"If the perfect thing doesn't work out, it just means that there's something better for you out there," said Kumiko wisely.

"That's a very optimistic thought," commented Shin, "But it gives me hope. Thanks, Yankumi."

"Oh, don't thank me! I'm sure you'll be happy," said Kumiko softly. Shin observed her carefully. She looked unhappy.

"One look at you tells me you're not happy with your love life," stated Shin.

"It's nothing, Sawada…"

"Yankumi?" he said, locking her in an intense gaze. She melted and broke down-

"I don't know why I'm even unhappy. I've loved Shinohara-san for almost as long as I can remember. Yet now that we're together, I still don't know why I'm not happy. All these years, I thought that all I wanted was Shinohara-san. And two years ago, when he asked me out, I thought I couldn't get happier. I was overjoyed. But within a day or two, that feeling came back. That feeling of emptiness and something not going right along with the unhappiness and loneliness seemed to have doubled. I don't know Sawada, I don't know what's missing!" she finished, running her fingers through her hair.

"Why do you think you're not satisfied?" questioned Shin still watching her intently.

"I don't know!!! That's what I'm trying to figure out! Shinohara-san's the nicest guy I've ever met. He's smart, sophisticated, handsome…still, I feel something's wrong. Even though we have a lot of fun together, I get this nagging feeling from within. You know, it's like I waited for a date for years and when my turn finally came, it was with the wrong guy."

"I think you've hit the nail on the head right there!" said Shin, "You probably love someone else."

"No, I thought so too before. It's different from that though. I don't love anyone else. Maybe I'm just not used to being in a relationship, never having been in one. I just need to stop thinking too much into it."

"I see…" said Shin after a while, not sounding utterly convinced, "Tell me something, are you two physically compatible?"

"What?" asked Kumiko looking confused, "Yes, yes, we are."

"Yankumi," said Shin slowly, "Do you even know what I'm talking about?"

"Um…" she said smiling, "Not really…"

"What I'm saying is," said Shin with a sigh, "Do you two have it going good, you know, in bed?"

"Ah!" gasped Kumiko and quickly slapped Shin's arm, "How can you say that? Did you think I'm that kind of a woman? I wouldn't do anything of this sort until I'm married!"

"So I thought," said Shin with a weird look in his eyes, "Are you having any kind of trouble from Shinohara's side?"

"Not at all. In fact, I feel so bad for him. He has to put up with all of my eccentricities and upon that, I can't even make him happy. I hate it!"

"So, the problem lies with you," said Shin thinking hard, "I still think it's because you love someone else. Relationships don't have a pattern or anything that you have to learn or get used to. You decide how you want your relationship to be. So your claim that you don't know how being in a relationship feels is nonsensical."

Kumiko was silent for a long time. She thought about what Shin had just said as Shin waited patiently.

"Perhaps," she said finally, "That could be it. But that still does not give me any reason to be mean to Shinohara-san. For all I know, I may never meet the one I love. So I might end up screwing my life. Shinohara-san's a decent guy. He shouldn't have to suffer for my problems. And who knows? I may never find someone as nice as him. I don't want to mess up what I have for something I don't and am not sure of."

"You're right, Yankumi," said Shin in a strange voice, "You shouldn't make Shinohara-san suffer. Whatever's meant to be, will come to you eventually. I'm sure you'll be happy too."

"Thank you so much, Sawada," said Kumiko, her eyes shining with tears, "you're so sweet! Any girl would be lucky to have you. At least I'd want you real bad if I was single!"

"That's all I wanted to hear," muttered Shin.

"Did you say something?" inquired Kumiko, "Didn't catch you…"

"I'm surprised you would want me!" said Shin feigning surprise, "Why, I'm so pleased!"

"Haha…anyway, I didn't know you liked Shinohara-san. I was always under the impression that you had a problem with him."

"I didn't say I like Shinohara-san even now," said Shin indifferently, "I only think he shouldn't have to suffer for your mistakes."

"That's true. Especially not when he tries his best to make our relationship work."

Shin looked around for a minute or so. Kumiko gazed at him affectionately.

"You know what, Sawada?" she said, "The U.S. really has changed you. You're so much more open now. I like the new Sawada."

"You have a lot more of me to see," he thought and smirked.

"The one thing even America couldn't change about you is your smirks. You still remain a man of more smirks than words."

"Shut up," laughed Shin, "Can we place an order now?"

* * *

As Kumiko lay in bed thinking over the night's events, a smile crept over her face. Sawada sure had learnt how to make women happy. Kumiko hadn't had so much fun in so many years. Her outing with Shinohara and the others the previous evening appeared dull and drab now. No doubt, she enjoyed with them too. But if her evening with them was compared to the time she spent with Shin today, it wouldn't even stand a chance. Maybe it was just joy for meeting her student after this long. Still, there had to be something more to it…

'Sawada has changed so much; for the better, of course,' thought Kumiko and beamed. She simply couldn't stop smiling. The evening kept coming back to her again and again. She couldn't go to sleep even as she turned over to her side. Just as she was trying to bury her head into the pillow and close her eyes, her cell phone rang out loudly-

"Moshi moshi?" said Kumiko, without taking a look at the incoming number.

"Hi gorgeous," came the voice that had been ringing in her head for hours now, "Asleep yet?"

"Sa-wa-da!" she said, breaking his name up, "Stop with the 'gorgeous' already."

"At least you'll know it's me whenever I'll call you 'gorgeous.' I bet no one calls you that even as a joke."

"You meanie! Anyway, what's with the late night 'love call'?"

"Love call?" repeated Shin in amazement, "You wish! I just called you 'coz I had nothing better to do. Wasn't all that sleepy. So I thought I'd check if you were awake."

"I was under the impression you found me annoying," said Kumiko playfully.

"Well, that was before. I had fun with you today."

"I had a lot of fun too."

"Then why didn't we fix another meeting? I dropped you outside your place and we forgot to discuss our next meeting?"

"Oh my God!" said Kumiko sounding horror-stricken, "How can that be? What were we talking about?"

"I dunno, let me think. We were discussing the lyrics of '_Lucky Man_' in detail," replied Shin sounding embarrassed.

"I know! Anyway, when are you free? How about tomorrow?" questioned Kumiko cheerfully.

"Hmmmmm…I think tomorrow's cool," said Shin, "But we'll have to go a little late. How about I come and pick you up from your place at 7.30? That way you can have some rest after school. That way you can rest after school too."

"That sounds good. See you at 7.30 tomorrow then."

"Yeah. By the way, you sleepy by any chance?" asked Shin, his voice sounding hoarse.

"No," whispered Kumiko, "You?"

"Not a bit. I can't stop thinking about our evening together. It's been ages since I've been this happy and had this much fun."

"The same goes for me. I've missed 3-D a lot! I wish I could meet them somewhere! Have you heard from your old classmates?"

"I'm in regular touch with Uchi. He's one of the architects involved in that project going on in the area near your house."

"He's part of that project, yet he never bothered meeting me!" hissed Kumiko.

"I don't know; don't spit poison at me," said Shin, "As for the others – Noda's working as an assistant on an anime."

"Wow! That's awesome!! Have you met any of these guys since you got back?"

"Just Uchi. He picked me up from the airport the night I got back. I still have to talk to the others and fix a day with them."

"What are all the others doing?"

"Minami's working as a journalist for Nihon Times."

"Cool!! Never knew Minami was into reporting and media."

"He's a sports journalist. He loves all the fun he gets to see."

"I'm sure he does. So, all these guys have been in touch with you but they haven't bothered checking up on me?"

"They miss you just as much. They've only been extremely caught up in life."

"It's ok. I understand. Kuma's the only one I heard from regularly. He seems pretty happy with things. I met his wife, Ami Morisaki, the Momoyuri girl, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. He told me. He'd invited me to the wedding. I was too far away to attend and plus, I was having too many issues of my own at the time."

"What issues?"

"It's kinda personal, Yankumi."

"You still have to tell me why you never called me in all these years…"

"I'll tell you that story when the time is right. You'll have to wait until then."

"You're the boss," surrendered Kumiko.

"Saying that doesn't suit you at all, you know, Yankumi," said Shin happily.

"Yeah, I know," laughed Kumiko, "Have you heard from the rest of 3-D?"

"Not really. All I know is that outside of my group of friends, Matsudaira, well, you remember him don't you?"

"Yes, I do. What's Matsudaira up to?"

"Matsudaira went into hotel management. He's assistant manager at a 5 star hotel in Osaka."

"That's really nice to hear. You heard of anyone else?"

"Yeah. Remember Kenichi Mouri? The blond guy with the droopy face?"

"Shut up! He was one of the cutest in the class. He looked so sweet and sad and cute…"

"Well, he's in India, doing his Indian Culture PhD."

"Oh my God! He's doing a PhD? That's amazing! I never thought anyone in class 3-D was interested in studying much."

"I met him when he was holidaying with his family in the U.S. He's dyed his hair black so it was a bit difficult to recognize him at first. He looks a lot more decent now."

"That's nice. It feels so great when I think I was teacher to all these guys. It's just like seeing your children growing up."

"You think of me as your son, Yankumi?"

"Not you, Sawada. Just watching students grow older before your eyes, it gives you that parental feel. You won't really get what I'm saying. It's a little complicated. You'll probably have to become a parent to understand it."

"Hmmmmm…I see," murmured Shin and thought, "I have a _lot_ to work."

"Sawada?" said Kumiko, "You there, right?"

"Huh? Yeah, I am. I was thinking, would you like to come along when I meet the old gang?"

"Sure, why not? But only if they want me to tag along."

"Why won't they? I'll speak to them and let you know when we meet up."

"Ok. I'm quite eager to meet them."

"Yankumi," said Shin throatily. Kumiko's heart skipped a beat at how sexy his voice sounded. "Don't you have school tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. Why?" said Kumiko deflating a bit. She had expected him to ask her something more serious.

"Um, just take a look at the time, will you?"

Kumiko glanced at the alarm clock sitting on her bedside table. The clock was glowing in the dark. Its tiny hands were both fixed on the number twelve.

"Oh my!! It's midnight!"

"Yes, it is. It's time for bed."

"Sure. See you tomorrow! Good night, Sawada."

"Good night, Yankumi. Sleep well."

"You too. I can't wait to talk to you again tomorrow. I really had a great time today."

"Me too, I can't wait for tomorrow either."

"Bye now."

"Bye."

Kumiko hung up and held the phone close to her heart. She closed her eyes, smiled and rolled over. Shin lay in bed, staring at the stars for a long time until he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Aaahh!! _Gomen ne_! I'm sorry for updating _Love Actually_ at a snail's pace. I have no excuses this time. I admit, I've been plain lazy. And working on my other story has left me with no time for this one. But I promise I'm going to start updating this more frequently now!! Okay, now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, go review! If you didn't, even then review and tell me where you think I could've written better. Because all praise and criticism is welcome with open arms. And I survive on your reviews. So please review (reviews tell me if people even like the nonsense I write!). Chapter 5 is almost done and should be up in some time. But I won't update unless you review. So you know what to do!!! Byeeeee!! =D


	5. Rising Emotions

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters. If I did, I'd do a lot more for the Shinkumi pair unlike what the creators did! I also don't own Arashi. I'm just a poor fan fiction writer who wants to light up a few faces with her fan fic. I assure you, I make no money doing this or anything else. So, please don't sue me. Thank you.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** A special thanks to **Lia**, **drama-watching-queen** (my beloved regular reviewer!), **XNightNoteX**, **yurika'hellgirl** (another regular reviewer!), **Yokou Kumiko**, **okinawa haruhi** (thanks for all your reviews!), **Darkmercuryplanet **and **blueprincess16 **(thanks for your feedback!) for all their lovely reviews. Hugs to all of you!!! I would also like to thank everyone who read my story, added it to their Alert lists or Favorite lists. Thank you for considering my work!! Here's the next chapter for you. Enjoy ^^

* * *

**CHAPTER 5 – RISING EMOTIONS**

One month later-

"I can't believe how different your apartment looks!" exclaimed Kumiko, "I first thought I came in through the wrong doors."

"I told you, you wouldn't recognize it," smirked Shin, "Well, make yourself comfortable."

"Nice couch," remarked Kumiko as she settled down on it, "Who did the interiors?"

"My sister," said Shin from over the kitchen, "She was really excited about this. She's doing a course in interior designing. This was kind of like her first assignment."

"Hmmm…she does seem to have a knack for this. Your apartment looks lovely now. Very bright and happy."

"I don't care for it much."

"How can you not?" asked Kumiko indignantly, "She must have put so much effort into it."

"I appreciate her work! I'm just not much into decoration, that's all."

"Still, you should relish…"

"Cut it, Yankumi."

"You'll never change, Sawada."

"Just as well."

Before she could say anything else, Kumiko's cell phone rang out loudly. She pulled it out of her bag and answered-

"Hello?"

"Ah…Kumiko," said Shinohara-san, "What are you doing right now? Are you free?"

"Um…no, I'm actually out."

"Oh, ok. May I ask where?"

"Yeah, I'm – I'm out with my family now," stammered Kumiko. Shin looked over at her from his cooking concernedly.

"Oh, I'm very sorry to disturb you, then. I just called because it's been very long since we went out together. Almost two or three weeks."

"I know, Shinohara-san. But I'm really busy with a lot of work. Too much of schoolwork coupled with the most troublesome lot of the school; things really aren't in my favor at present."

"I understand. Why don't they we fix a day that's all right with you? How about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" said Kumiko thinking a lot, "I guess it should be fine, only if I don't have any family outings. How about I let you know later tonight?"

"That'll be good. I'll be waiting for your call. Bye," said Shinohara lovingly and thought, '_She sounds different and almost scared. I hope she's alright_.' "I love you," he said softly.

"Love you," repeated Kumiko and hung up.

Kumiko sat on the couch, staring at her phone for a long time. Shin came to sit beside her. He saw that her hands were shaking.

"Is everything ok, Yankumi?" he asked.

"Huh?" said Kumiko coming out of her stupor, "I'm fine, of course, silly. Why? What did you think was wrong with me?" her face had turned starkly white.

"Who the hell are you kidding, Yankumi?" said Shin harshly, "Your hands are shaking, your face is turning paler with every passing minute and I can see how great your relationship with your boyfriend is."

That did it. Kumiko threw her arms around Shin's neck, snuggled her head into his chest and broke down. She was sobbing uncontrollably and shaking all over. Shin hugged her tight. He kissed her head softly. He patted her back to calm her down.

"Now, now, stop crying," he said, holding her closer, "Tell me what's wrong. I'll try to help you."

"No, Shin," Kumiko said looking at him, her face shining with tears, "You won't understand. I don't know what I'll do!" she cried, burying her face into the front of his t-shirt again.

"Don't cry, Yankumi," Shin said stroking her hair, "I hate watching you cry. It hurts me deeply. Try telling me what's bothering you so much. I'll work on helping you out."

"I don't know, Shin!" said Kumiko grabbing his t-shirt front, "Why do I behave this way?"

"First, you have to stop crying," said Shin fishing a handkerchief out of his pocket, "Come on, look up now," he said gently, cupping her face with his hand and wiping her tears. "Drink some water," he ordered. She picked up a bottle of water lying on the coffee table and drank some of it. Shin looked at her tentatively, "So tell me, why you told Shinohara you're with family?"

Kumiko gulped down the water quickly and said, "I don't know what got over me that time. But I guess I did the right thing. He wouldn't like me spending time alone at an ex-student's house. And on top of it all, you stay alone and you're hot and single."

"You think I'm _hot_?" asked Shin with a bemused expression. Kumiko ignored him and went on.

"He would ask me to join him if I told him I was with you. He'd think it was wrong of me to be spending time with another man when instead, I could be with him. He would probably mistrust me as well."

"Come on; don't say that," said Shin looking worried, "I'm sure he trusts you."

"No Shin. I know what I'm saying," Kumiko said bitterly, "I'm the last person Shinohara-san trusts."

"I know this is none of my business," said Shin, "But you have to tell me why you feel this way. I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Kumiko's eyes welled up with tears again. Shin watched her sadly and patted her shoulder. She took a deep breath and started-

"It all started a year ago. His birthday was coming up and I wanted to go shopping for a present for him. We used to spend time together almost everyday back then. So when I told him that I couldn't come out with him, he asked me why. Now, I wanted the gift to come as a complete surprise but I hadn't thought up of a good enough excuse. That's why when I said I wanted to rest, he didn't believe me. He thought I was lying, which, technically speaking, I was. But that still doesn't mean I was having an affair."

"What? He thought you were two-timing?"

"Yeah," sobbed Kumiko, "And you can imagine how terribly we fought then. I was so disturbed. I drank far too much that night. The next day when he apologized to me, I thought realization had dawned upon him or something. What I didn't know was that Kawashima-sensei had told him about our plan to go present-shopping for him."

"Hmmm…I see," said Shin thinking hard, "Had you started acting weird with him that time? As in, did you show signs of not being too comfortable around him?"

"I guess I had shown signs," said Kumiko trying to recollect, "Still, why would he think that way?"

"I'd think that way too," replied Shin, "But only if I didn't love you like crazy."

"Meaning?" queried Kumiko raising one eyebrow.

"Meaning is that if I was going out with you I'd probably think like him too. But that's only if I didn't love you blindly and crazily."

"But what's love got to do with this?" asked Kumiko, "Shinohara-san loves me, as far as I know."

"I didn't say he doesn't love you. I said, 'I' would think nonsense if 'I' didn't love you madly. Because if I loved you so much that I couldn't live without you, I would trust you blindly. I'd never see anything beyond my love for you," said Shin, his voice sounding strained, "Shinohara-san loves you, there's no doubt about that. But I think his love is driven by what he sees. You're doing a bad job reciprocating his love. To top it all, you're not giving him what he needs. That's why, be careful. He might resort to other measures to get what he wants."

"What do you mean by all this?" inquired Kumiko, "What do you mean by 'not giving him what he needs'?"

"I'm talking about your decision to hold it until you get married. You know what I mean, don't you?"

"Yes but what's all this rubbish about 'might resort to other measures'?"

"Of course he will. Hasn't anyone given you 'the talk' before?"

"What 'talk'?" she asked looking more and more confused.

Shin shook his head and sighed, "Have you even understood what I've been saying all this while?"

"Well, yeah, I kinda know what you meant but Shinohara-san's not that kind. He raised the issue with me once but when I told him what I've decided, he never discussed it again."

"He's clever, but he is, after all, a man. Guys need it more than girls do. While you can go on without it, he probably can't. So, while we're here discussing all this, he's thinking of measures to keep himself going. That's why I'm telling you to be careful."

"What rubbish!" exclaimed Kumiko angrily, "Maybe some people are like that. Not Shinohara-san."

"All guys are," said Shin smoothly, "Trust me, I'm a guy. I know what I'm talking about."

"Are you like that too then?" wondered Kumiko watching him with interest.

"I love someone so much that I cannot think of all this until I have her," replied Shin closing his eyes.

"Who's the girl, Sawada?" asked Kumiko going back to her usual self, "Is she someone from the US?"

"She's from Japan. That's why I came here in the first place. That's all. I'm not telling you anything else."

"Come on! Tell me!!"

"No. Now let me get back to my cooking. Don't you want dinner?"

"I do! I'm so sorry! Your dinner must be ruined by now! And all because of me!"

"Don't apologize. I turned off the flame when I came here to speak to you."

"Oh, good. I'm sure I'd have burned the dinner if it was me cooking."

"That's why I'm cooking tonight," smirked Shin and went back to his cooking.

Kumiko switched on the TV for a while and flipped through the channels. None of the channels had anything interesting going on. She got bored quickly and turned off the TV. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Shin humming to himself as he stirred the curry.

"_Aenai yoru ni… kimi kara no message_ (On the nights we can't meet, I want to hear some message from you)

_Ichiban hoshii kotoba, shitteiru you ni_ (The words I really want to hear, as if you already know)

_Itsumo, kimi o kanjiru_ (I can always sense you)

_Take off, Take off_,

_Yoru o koete, motto jiyuu ni_ (I want to make it through this night)

_Kimi ni aitai_ (so I can meet you more freely)

_Naked, Naked_

_Nanimo iwazu, dakiau dake_ (all I want to do is embrace you without saying a word)

_Sore dake de ii, kimi to_ (With you just that is fine)."

"Sawada!" she boomed behind him, "What is all this?"

"What is all what?" said Shin.

"What's with the erotic song?"

"What do you think?" he said, a naughty smile playing on his lips, "I'm relieving myself," he said with a wink.

"Eeeeeewwwwww!!!"

"Just kidding! And you found that erotic? What would you do if I sang something even worse? Should I? I do know of some…"

"No thanks!" said Kumiko raising her hands, "Anyway, what's for dinner?"

"Chicken curry, Indian style. I learnt it from one of my friends in America. He's the head chef at an Indian restaurant."

"Cool! I can't wait to try it!"

"Let me warn you though. It might be a little spicy for your tastes."

"I'm still game for it."

Shin laid out the plates as Kumiko sat down at the dining table-

"You sure you don't want me to help?" quipped Kumiko.

"No, you just sit right there like a pretty doll and make yourself comfortable."

"Sawada, are you sure someone didn't poison you in America? You're too gentlemanly now! Sure you're ok?"

"Shut up," said Shin and went away to bring the food.

"Now that's better," said Kumiko to no one in particular.

When Shin set the table and sat next to her, Kumiko peered around the exotic looking dishes.

"What're these?" she asked pointing at some folded handkerchief-like things kept in a basket at the table.

Shin looked at what she was pointing and said, "Oh, these are called 'rotis.' They're somewhat similar to tortillas, just these are softer."

"What are tortillas?" she asked curiously.

"Never mind," said Shin shaking his head.

"But how do I eat these? Do I eat these alone or is there a dip?"

"Watch and learn," ordered Shin and took a roti on his plate. He tore off a piece of the roti with one hand, picked up some gravy with it, rolled it a little and put it into his mouth gracefully.

"Wow!" exclaimed Kumiko, "That looks cool! I wanna try it too! But how will I tear out such a perfect piece with just one hand?"

"That's the fun part. Eating with only one hand has always been an important part of Indian dining. At first, you might find it tough but later you'll find yourself comfortable eating with only one hand everywhere."

"Okay, I'll try it," she said, taking a roti onto her plate. She tore out a small piece using just four fingers, took some gravy with it, rolled it up a little carelessly and stuffed it into her mouth, "Hmmm…" she said, chewing it slowly, "It's delicious!"

"I knew you'd like it!"

"It's yummy but a little spicy…"

"I've kept the spices to a minimum so that you'd be able to eat this. If I'd make it any less spicy, it will lose all its charm."

"I'm not asking you to make it bland and spoil its authenticity."

"Actually, I haven't made it exactly like it should be made. It's originally supposed to be very spicy. But even my friend, the chef, didn't make it that spicy. His curry would usually be more on the sweeter side…"

Kumiko was watching him tenderly as he gabbled on about the recipe. He stopped midway when he found her staring like that.

"Are you ok, Yankumi?"

"Yeah," she nodded and smiled, "Thanks for everything, Sawada."

"What are you thanking me for? I haven't done anything."

"Of course you have. You support me every time I'm low. You talk to me and make me feel so good. Other people only make me guilty."

"Yankumi," he said steadily, "I only do what a friend must."

"So, I can come to you whenever I need you?"

"You can. And I promise to be there whenever you need me."

"Even when you're busy with your girl?" asked Kumiko.

"Yeah. You matter more to me than anyone else. You're my friend."

"Ahh! Thank you so much, Sawada. I'm going to cook a nice meal for you sometime. And I'm sorry if my problems with Shinohara-san bore you."

"Nah, that's ok. I think I realize what's wrong with you."

"What? What is it?"

"You need a change of environment. All you do is attend school, do your teacher duties and go on dates. Now, if you had another activity to do…"

"What other activity?" pressed Kumiko.

"Let's see…how about the two of us join a ballroom dancing class? Maybe salsa?"

"Dancing? Me?" repeated Kumiko looking astounded, "I really don't think…"

"I think it's a great idea!" said Shin cutting her across, "This way both of us will have something different to do and we can also meet up quite often without making it boring or even look like a date. What say?"

"I'm still not sure I'm gonna do a great…"

"Listen, I'm no good at dancing either. But this can be fun. And we can't be judgmental until we try. Maybe we could be good dancers. So, you wanna try it?"

"Hmmmmm…ok! If you say so…" agreed Kumiko

"Yoshi!" said Shin and both of them burst out laughing.

"_Dan Dan Dang! Me no mae wo toorisugiru dake ni hi wo…_" rang Shin's phone. He got up to fetch it and smiled when he saw the incoming number.

"Hey Uchi," he said.

"Yo, Shin! What's up? You're not busy, are you?"

"Not really…" said Shin his voice trailing off.

"Don't tell me…you're on a date, right?" asked Uchi, "Oh my God, yes you are! I'm so sorry to have disturbed. It's…"

"Shut up! I'm not on a date. I'm just with Yankumi. She's come over to my place."

"Oh…and that isn't a date?"

"You want me to hang up on you?"

"Just kidding. I'd love to talk to Yankumi. Could you give her the phone?"

"She'd love to talk to you too…"

Shin handed the phone to Kumiko who took a deep breath and said sweetly –

"Hello, Uchi. How have you been? Haven't heard from you in the longest time."

"I've just been very busy and…" but before Uchi could complete his sentence, Kumiko threw away the sweet voice and started dangerously, "Busy? We've all been busy. You worked on the project near my house and yet, not once did you think of dropping by. Learn something from Sawada. He got back from America and the next day, he comes to meet me. Unlike you, who's been here all along but doesn't have the courtesy to even call, let alone meet me," she finished, breathing heavily.

"I'm so sorry I didn't meet you earlier. I promise you, all of us will meet up this week – Shin, Noda, Kuma, Minami, you and me – a complete reunion for the old group. Just tell me what day you're free. I'll ask them to come accordingly."

"We're meeting this Friday and that's final!" announced Kumiko at which Uchi said, "Yeah, ok. Friday's good. Since neither of us have girlfriends, except Kuma, but he's married, of course. I don't think any of them should have a problem with Friday."

Shin watched Kumiko with a loving gaze as she bickered and babbled with Uchi over the phone. He wouldn't mind if this moment continued forever. He just wanted to keep watching her like that. Always…

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Don't kill me, Minna-san!! I was down with writer's block AND I got a job (and I fell in love with Gackt Camui and my own love story started…!)! So, I hardly have time to study these days or even read (I've been trying to finish Twilight for ages now but no progress). Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! For those of you who do not know, the song that Shin was singing while cooking is a song called Naked which has been sung by Jun Matsumoto himself. I just thought it would be apt and sexy enough for the situation. Also, Shin's ring tone when Uchi called him is Kumori Nochi, Kaisei by Satoshi Ohno. In case you haven't heard these songs, go look for them on Youtube. They're wonderful! Okay, so I'll start my usual rant. Please review after you've read this, whether you like it or not and no matter how many years later you read this. I'll be waiting for your review and I'll be sure to reply. I really hope I can update the next chapter soon but unfortunately I'm stuck at a crucial point. That part will decide the outcome of the next few chapters so I'm going to ask a few of my Shinkumi loving friends to help me out with this. You can help too if you like but I don't want to spoil it for you readers!! Ja naaaa!! ^^


	6. Truth

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters; least of all, Shin and Kumiko. If I did, not only would Shinkumi be a happily married couple by now but I would have also been in talks with Jun and Yukie to get married!!! Sadly, I do not have any such power. So, I'm left with no choice but to write fan fiction. I assure you, I'm poor. I make no money doing this or anything else (I'm working but it's an unpaid internship…so, I'm short on cash). That's why, please don't sue me!

* * *

**Author's Notes:** First of all, thanks for all the reviews that my beloved Chapter 5 got! A special thanks and lots of hugs to **Tomorrows Dust**, **A**, **okinawa haruhi**, **yurika'chii**,** TheSoulmater**, **shooting star 0160**, **Sazzi**, **blueprincess16**, **MakeLOVE29NotWAR**, **FreakChick42**, **Shi-Koi** and **Duke-of-Spades**. I'd also like to thank everyone who added my story to their Favorite list, Story Alert list and those who added me to their Author Alert, not forgetting the kind people who took some time out to read my fic! I don't wish to take anymore of your time, so, here's chapter six for you. Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX - TRUTH**

"4 – 3 – 2 – 1, let's start!!" announced the dance instructor, clapping her hands.

All the couples around the room swayed to the beats of Latino music. Shin moved gracefully and Kumiko tried her best to match him. She stared at him, transfixed, as he turned her and pulled her close.

She breathed in his scent and felt overpowered. She wanted to smell more of him but decided against it. She was sure she'd forget the steps if she got any closer to Shin. But she couldn't exactly distance herself from him as they were dancing; they needed to be very close. After four minutes of dancing, the instructor asked them to stop.

'_Finally!!!_' thought Kumiko.

"Very nice! Very, very good!" she said, "All of you are doing brilliantly! So that's good progress for today! See you on Thursday! Bye class!!" she finished, dismissing everyone.

The room emptied slowly. Kumiko was still staring at Shin, astonished. Shin picked Kumiko's bag up along with his own and turned to look at her. She was gaping at him-

"Um, Yankumi?" he said softly tapping her arm. She jumped violently.

"Huh?" she shot him a questioning look.

"You seem weird today…" Shin commented, "Do you want to come over to my place and grab a quick bite?"

"Sure. Why not?" Kumiko said, without much thought.

Shin smiled, "So, what would you like to have for dinner?"

"I loved the curry you made the other day," said Kumiko nonchalantly.

"Sure. If you liked it so much…"

They drove back to Shin's apartment. Kumiko seemed lost about something-

"_Meguri meguru kisetsu no tochuu de, nani iro no ashita o egakimasu ka? Tsuyoku tsuyoku shinjiaeta nara nani iro no mirai ga matteimasu ka?_" Arashi sang softly.

"Shin?" said Kumiko suddenly at which Shin turned the radio's volume down a little, "How about I cook tonight's dinner?"

"Are you serious?"

"Damn serious. Remember I told you sometime ago that I would cook for you? I'll do it tonight."

"Ok, but do you know to make curry?"

"Well, I have been practicing it a little…"

"Promise me; whatever you cook won't be charred?"

"It won't! I swear!" she said with a tinkling laugh.

She remained silent for the rest of the journey. Shin watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was staring at the dashboard.

"You seem unusually silent today, Yankumi," Shin said, "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing much," lied Kumiko.

"Tell me what's wrong, will you?" said Shin irritably.

"Well, at first I was silent because you dance too well and I have to struggle really hard to keep up with you!"

Shin stared at her in disbelief, "And that's a reason to be this silent?"

"It is," said Kumiko gravely, "Anyway, and then I remembered that I'm hardly spending any time with Shinohara-san. I'm so busy with school and salsa classes that I'm too tired to do anything after that!"

"Have you told Shinohara-san about the salsa classes?"

"No and I don't want to either. He can be really traditional at times. I've told him I joined cooking classes."

"And can you cook anything at all?" asked Shin, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I can!" retorted Kumiko indignantly, "I'm learning to cook in my free evenings! Tetsu and Minoru are teaching me!"

"I see. How many times have you met Shinohara-san since the classes started?"

"About 3-4 times, I guess. And the classes have been on for a month and a half! So that is one long time period."

"When was the last time you met him?"

"Two weeks ago. I do speak to him over the phone but that's not enough, is it?"

"So you're guilty, huh?" said Shin eyeing her carefully.

"Yes, I think I'm guilty. I'm his girlfriend and I ought to spend more time with him," she said tiredly.

"Are you his girlfriend just because you have to be?" asked Shin.

Kumiko opened her mouth to say something but couldn't. She didn't know what to say to that. Sawada had hit the right spot. She could feel the love between Shinohara-san and her decrease. While that may well be because she was unable to spend time with him, she was getting increasingly attached to Shin. Could it be feelings for him?

"Never mind what I just said," smiled Shin, "My place is here."

Shin observed her as they went up to his apartment. She had a strange look in her eyes. She appeared to be worried yet elated about something.

'Women sure are tough to fathom,' said a tiny voice in the back of his head.

Shin unlocked the door to the apartment and they went in. Kumiko bounded into the kitchen. Shin shook his head and smiled to himself. He settled down on the couch to watch some TV.

Kumiko trudged around the kitchen and tried not to think about what Shin had said before. It was something she needed a lot of time to think over and this certainly wasn't the right moment to be doing so. Instead, she tried to focus on the songs which were playing on TV. She got out the vessels and ingredients from the kitchen cabinet and set them down on the counter. Rolling up her sleeves, she said, "Yoshi! Faito-oh!"

Kumiko began to cook. At first, she was being very careful but she was lost in her cooking in no time. She hummed a happy tune and stirred the curry. Shin looked over his shoulder and smiled. She seemed happy. That was all he wanted.

"Sawada, I can't wait for you to try this out!" she said in a cheerful voice.

"I can't wait to try it out myself!" he said lovingly.

"Come here and tell me if it's good," ordered Kumiko.

Shin smiled and went over to her. She scooped up some curry with her finger and tasted a bit of it.

"Hmmm…I don't understand if the salt's in the right measure. Taste some?" Kumiko said, beckoning him to lick it off her finger. Shin blushed. Kumiko clicked her tongue impatiently, "What is wrong with you? Hurry up!"

Shin glanced at her quickly once before licking her finger. The curry tasted good.

"It's great. Don't make it any more salty."

"That's a relief! I really never get if I'm going right with food or not. I guess I'll never be a good cook."

"Shut up. You're already a good cook."

"Thanks, Sawada," smiled Kumiko and patted his cheek. Shin tried hard not to blush. He shook his head and went back to the couch.

"It's almost done!" announced Kumiko, "Yoshi! I can't believe I cooked a full meal today!!"

Shin exclaimed. The music channel was playing 'Namida no Hurricane' (**A/N:** Translates to "Hurricane of Tears"). He increased the volume and went to Kumiko-

"Come on, let's practice dancing. This is the perfect song to practice salsa!" he said, taking her hand.

"Shin!" Kumiko said, "I don't want to dance and feel inferior again."

"That is exactly why we must dance!! Now come before the song ends!!"

"Okay," she said, turning off the flame and holding his hand tight.

"_Sennen ni ikkai no koi nante mon ja nai, futari no tame in sora to daichi ga ugoiteta. Shakariki na hi yo Come Back!_" (**A/N:** I don't think we need a translation here…it's not like it means anything in this context. But you absolutely must hear it, if you haven't already. It'll help you to imagine them dancing better!)

Kumiko swayed happily. Shin rocked her back and forth. They frolicked around happily, mixing their own dance steps in between. He turned her and pulled her into his arms, striking a mock-sexy pose until they both burst out laughing.

"Oh my God," giggled Kumiko clutching her sides, "If we dance like that in class, we'll be kicked out in no time."

"Yeah, I will be. You danced really well," said Shin gazing into the depths of her eyes.

"You think so?" she asked, looking genuinely surprised.

"Absolutely," he said in the same way. They both looked at each other for sometime. The song ended. The next song began to play. Shin bent a little and offered his hand to Kumiko in a gentlemanly manner. Entranced, she accepted.

"'Ai ga areba heiwa da' to - _I heard someone say  
_Dareka ga kuchi ni shiteita – _'If there is love, there's peace'_  
Unazuku hito mo ireba, utagau hito mo iru - _and one may agree with that, or not_

Kurushimi ga aru kara koso - _Whenever I was in pain_  
Anata wo dakishimeru toki - _you'd hold me closely  
_Sono ude no yasashi sa wo - _And it was in the warmth of those_  
Heiwa to kanjiru no deshou" - _arms that I felt peace_

Kumiko felt like her eyes were glued to Shin's face. She now noticed that the lights were dimmed. They slow danced to the song. His hand, the one at her waist, tightened. She slowly wrapped her arms around Shin's neck. As they moved slower and slower, she felt her pulse quicken. And suddenly, as if someone had rolled up the blinds from over a window and the sunlight came pouring in, she was struck by realization. She had known the answer all along. She just never admitted to it. But it was impossible to deny it any longer. She was in love with Shin…

"Kasaneta kono te wo - _This time I don't_

Kondo wa hanasanai - _let go off my heart_

Shinjiru chikara ga - _Because the power of belief_

Ai wo jiyuu ni suru…" - _will set love free_

Everything was clear now. She loved him. The reason she had been upset ever since her class graduated was because she loved him! She had always dismissed it as being attached to her first class. But when she was disturbed in her relationship with Shinohara, she had no answer. This was it. Shin was the reason she couldn't love Shinohara truly. She loved him, that's why. And he deserved every cent of her love. It was his shoulder she had cried on when she was upset with Shinohara. He had heard her out on every occasion and advised her like a true friend would. He had always been there for her, through thick and thin. He had stood by her and suggested ways to make her relationship work. And, he had been far kinder and understanding than Shinohara…

"Yakusoku to iu watashi-tachi no KONPASU - _Though our we said our promises would be our compass_

Dakede wa kono koi ga hougaku wo mioshinai no…" - _we lost sight of the direction this love was going in_

Kumiko looked away, unable to meet his gaze. No, it wasn't right. He was her ex-student. Most people still thought of them as teacher-student. Their relationship wouldn't work; not in a million years. And she wasn't even sure if he loved her. Yet, when she looked at him again, somehow, that contradiction died a quick death. He was looking at her intensely. She blushed. He was holding her very close to him and his grip on her waist was very tight. It was as if time froze right there. Shin's hands cupped her face. Kumiko blinked. Her arms around his neck tightened even more. His face seemed to get closer. She pulled him towards herself. She could now feel his breath on her face. Shin closed his eyes. Kumiko followed suit. She wasn't afraid of anything anymore. She knew she loved Shin and that was that. She edged even closer. Just when Shin was about to bridge the tiny gap between them, Shinohara's voice rang in Kumiko's head, "_I love you_," and faded away with a sad note to it. That's when Kumiko remembered that she was still his girlfriend and did have some feelings for him, no matter if their degree couldn't even match up to Shin's. She still needed time to think over something this huge. She was about to snog her student, for crying out loud! And while, just a while ago, she was very clear she liked Shin, it could have easily sprung up because of the gratitude she had towards him for being nice to her. Reluctantly, she broke the embrace. Shin's eyes snapped open. Kumiko's eyes were glistening with tears. He looked at her in concern. Her lip trembled as she turned away from to wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"It's nothing," she said, wiping her tears quickly, "I, er, something went into my eyes. I…" she stammered, "Um, let's eat dinner before it gets cold," she said hurriedly and turned away, her back facing Shin. He watched her knowingly as she laid the dishes and sighed.

* * *

'Why did I start crying?' Kumiko thought as she lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling. After she laid dinner, Shin had conveniently changed the topic and they were both laughing and chatting as if nothing had happened at all, while deep down, they were both waiting to be alone to ponder over the situation. They waited patiently until then and talked to each other about frivolous things neither of them cared about. Shin dropped her home but didn't come in to talk to Ojiichan and the others like he normally did. She knew he wanted to be alone and didn't even press on him to stay. Shin may have been a good actor but he was too disturbed today to hide his emotions. And here she was, lying awake and unable to figure out why she had reacted so strangely to Shin's embrace.

'I know I was probably guilty, I understand but I cried? I cried because I was cheating on Shinohara-san? It sure is sad but not something to cry about, come on!' Suddenly she had another worry in her mind. Did she truly love Shin or was that hormonal impulse she gave in to a while ago?

Sitting up in her bed, she turned on the bedside lamp and looked at the time. It was well past midnight. She switched the light off again and stared into the darkness. It was still bothering her. Why was she always so unsure? Back in his house, she just knew she loved him, so why the doubts now? She knew she was more comfortable with Shin than with Shinohara. Still, was this love? With all her unanswered questions and a frown on her face, Kumiko drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"I think I scared her, dude," said Shin cursing himself under his breath, "What took over me? I should've gone easy. All is fine until I am suddenly overcome by impulse and I pull her close and…damn! I just spoiled everything that took me so long to fix."

"Take it easy, Shin," reassured Uchi, "Stop doing this to yourself. Take a deep breath. You said she was going to kiss you too, right?"

"Yeah but she pushed me away and started crying. Doesn't that mean I scared her?"

"Hmmm…she didn't leave immediately after that, did she?"

"No, she stayed back for dinner. We were discussing casual stuff like TV shows and movies…"

"Well, that means she cried not because you scared her but because she got guilty about cheating on Shinohara. So don't worry, buddy, she loves you. She was ready to kiss you, mate!" said Uchi patting Shin's arm as Shin gulped down his fourth glass of whiskey.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Easy tiger!" said Uchi, "Don't empty the bar. Leave something for others to drink too. And now because you're drunk, I'll have to drive."

"Yeah, so?" Shin watched him with a questioning look.

"Nothing, go ahead and drink more if you want a hangover tomorrow," said Uchi and sipped his own mocktail.

* * *

"Uchi," murmured Shin as Uchi laid him on his bed, "Everything will work out, right?" he asked his words slurring and his eyes struggling to keep open.

"Yes, Shin. Trust me it will," Uchi said softly and turned off the lights, "Sleep well," he said and took a pillow and a sheet with him to sleep in the living room.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yes, I give you permission to kill me. The only reason I took this long to update this chapter is because I wasn't sure of what I wanted to do with the ending parts and because after long hours of working and studying, I'm left with no stamina to type out another thing into Microsoft Word (if you get what I mean). Anyway, I did manage to end it off suitably. Hope the salsa portions aren't very stupid, by the way. I'm finished with chapter 7 and most of 8. But I have only just penned them down. The most tedious part – typing is still remaining! I don't know when I'll get done with that. But I'll try injecting some energy into myself and do it fast! Anyway, let me start my usual rant, please review!! If you like it, review. If you don't like it, still review and tell me where I can improve. All praise and criticism is welcome with open arms. So, I'll take off now. Do drop a line! Until next time…! Ja neeeee!!


	7. Thoughts

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Gokusen or any of its characters. I can't own it, even if I want to. Anyway, at least the mangaka put Shin and Kumiko together; so I'm kinda happy. But this fan fiction is dramaverse so I'm still upset and waiting to see Matsujun and Nakama Yukie together…I'm a poor fan fic writer, so please don't sue me. You see, I do not make money doing this or anything else!!!

* * *

**Author's Notes:** A special thanks to **Anon-chan** (this is what happens when you don't leave a name but nevertheless, thanks for your review!!), **yurika'chii**, **phantom**, **FreakChick42**, **andromeda14**, **always-kh** and **pictures-of-the-night** for their fabulous reviews!! Hugs to all of you!!! I'd also like to thank everyone who read the fic or added it to their alerts. I hope you've enjoyed Love Actually so far. Let me not take anymore of your time! Here's chapter seven – enjoy reading! ^_^

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN – THOUGHTS**

Two weeks later –

_Kumiko's P.O.V._

I headed to school, thinking about Shin. I hadn't met him since that encounter. It's been two whole weeks since. I haven't even been to dance class. When Shin did call once or twice, I told him I wasn't feeling too well. I knew he wouldn't fall for any of my excuses; he probably knew why I was avoiding him. But he didn't press on any further. He simply told me to get well soon and hung up. I felt bad about doing this yet I kept hurting him and myself too.

My behavior probably hurt me more than it hurt Shin. Or maybe I'm being delusional here. I can't say I knew what Shin was going through. But I certainly didn't like the way things were going in my life. And what made it worse was that I had brought this upon myself. I could have easily chosen Shin that very night and then I probably wouldn't even be this low and sad but it wasn't as easy as it seemed. There were many issues to consider here. Many…

So while in the two weeks, I tried to make sense out of everything that had happened and all that would happen if I took the wrong step, life was being harsh with me. It was as if even the winds were screaming at me and telling me to choose Shin. I knew it was all clear ahead of me, but there was still one last worry bothering me. As I struggled with that worry, I lost all the motivation that I was usually overflowing with. Yeah, I actually began to feel like I was down in the dumps. I didn't feel like teaching anymore, I didn't want to talk to anyone, I just wanted to sit by myself in an empty, dark room and cry my heart out. And I did that too. Cried, that is. I would return home from school in the evenings and silently go up to my room, not so much as smiling at anyone, lock the bedroom door and cry.

I know crying never helps. It's not a solution to anything. But it lessened the weight of my worries. It helped me find a temporary release for my frustration – my frustration at not being able to decide what I wanted. I was battling with myself all along – one part of me knew what I wanted while the other part kept bringing up the issue I didn't want to confront. I was afraid of thinking about it, that's why. I was afraid of what would probably happen after what I dread happened.

I was worried to lose Shin as a friend. That's what kept bothering me. I had found such a good friend in him, what if turning him into my lover spoiled what we had as friends? What if we broke up just a little after we started to go out due to some differences? Wouldn't that affect our friendship? I may not know a lot about relationships but I certainly knew that once you are romantically involved with your friend, you cannot go back to being best friends after your breakup, like you were before the relationship, despite what people said. At least I wouldn't ever be able to think of Shin as just a friend again. And if he dated other women, I wouldn't be able to take it at all. That's the reason I was still having trouble deciding if I wanted to be with Shin. Because I knew I wanted to, but I had to know if I was ready for all possibilities.

And while I contemplated over my feelings, I thought I needed a change from what I was doing. That's when I started to go out with Shinohara-san again. I know it was terrible of me to do this while Shin lay in wait of my answer, but I wasn't just hanging out with Shinohara-san. We went on Goukon with Kawashima-sensei, Fujiyama-sensei and Kashiwagi-san. It was a good change – chatting about insignificant things, laughing away unnecessarily. Yet, even though it was a good escape for a while, there were times when I was suddenly overcome by emptiness whilst I was still with them that left me feeling sick. I felt isolated and alone and an impulse to dash out of there and into Shin's arms would seem like a good idea to me. But I just never followed it. I waited. I don't know what for but I just waited…

I was mistaken if I ever thought Ojiichan hadn't noticed my strange behavior for all this while. His eyes would crinkle up in worry whenever he looked at me. I couldn't meet his eye. If I were to explain everything that had been happening all this while between me and Shin, I doubt he would be very impressed. And even if he didn't mind me romancing my student, he wouldn't like what I was doing now. I couldn't bear the thought of even my own grandfather looking down on me. Ojiichan did ask me if there was something I had to tell him. I denied each time. He would nod and ask me to go back to what I was doing but he would worry even more. His worries increased when I stopped joining everyone for dinner and would eat in my room instead. Tetsu would come to call me a few times, but my negative answers ended up putting a stop to his visits. I knew it was not because they didn't care about me anymore. They just didn't want to force me into telling them stuff.

A lot had happened in these two weeks. My confusion had begun to affect my concentration. There were times when I'd get onto a bus and forget the place I had to go to, thus remaining on the bus longer than necessary. Often, while teaching, I'd lose my thread and then wonder what I had been saying before. I was sent to Kawashima-sensei more than once by Kyoutou-sensei. They were all worried about me…I could see it in their eyes – Kawashima-sensei, Fujiyama-sensei, Kyoutou-sensei, Shinohara-san. And I couldn't be more thankful for having made such close friends.

But the most important of everything that had happened in these days had been last night's date with Shinohara-san. We went out alone. Once again, I found myself turning into the sad, muddled Kumiko I had been, a few months before Shin reappeared in my life and completely changed it. However, there was a huge difference between my sadness and confusion then and now. Then, I was struggling to get out of a loveless relationship with Shinohara-san but hadn't been able to be strong about it because I was unaware of whom I loved. Now, I knew too well who the love of my life was. I was just not sure if I wanted to be with him as more than a friend. However, when Shinohara-san bent in for a good night kiss, for a minute, I thought I was back in Shin's house, wrapped in his arms, about to kiss him. That's when everything got clear. I pulled away from Shinohara-san, hastily opened the car door and stumbled out, leaving Shinohara-san shocked. I rushed towards my house, with only Shin on my mind. I had to call him tonight.

However, I reached home to only be distracted by Tetsu and Minoru telling me about Kyoutou-sensei who had called in my absence to remind me of the pile of test papers I had to correct and hand in tomorrow. I took a fleeting look at the wall clock. It was 10pm. I had to get to work right away if I ever wanted to finish. And while love is important, I had been slacking on the work front with the excuse of love. It was high time I worked more seriously. I started checking the papers. Bundle after bundle went by; I kept glancing at the clock. It was much too late to call anyone at that time. And my work was far from over. At last, when it finished at 3am, I yawned and slumped onto my bed, for a few hours of sleep before school. I would have to call him in the morning.

After what seemed like an eternity, morning came and now, I'm finally out of the house, away from my family. I pulled my phone out of my bag to call Shin. However, I realized that if I called him, there would be a lot to say. Instead, I typed out a text message –

'_Hi Shin, we need to talk. Could you meet me this evening, at 5, outside Shirokin_?'

I read the text once before sending it. It seemed all right. We really had to talk…

* * *

_Shin's P.O.V._

I woke up frowning at the glaring sun outside my window. Another damn day. I doubted anything nice would happen today. My list of nice days ended when I tried to kiss Kumiko anyway. So I didn't think today would be all that different. I scrambled out of bed and got up to freshen up.

As I brushed my teeth, I reflected on how horrible the past two weeks had been. Not talking to Kumiko was probably the worst punishment anyone could ever mete out to me. And what made it worse was that it was brought on by Kumiko herself…

I still regretted trying to get close to Kumiko the other day. If I could, I'd go back in time and change that day. I was sure that she was scared of me now. After all, which girl wouldn't me if the one guy she thought of as her friend turned around and tried to kiss her? This fortnight had forced me to believe that Uchi was mistaken. And anyway, even if what he had said was true and that she was only guilty because she was dating Shinohara, did it honestly take this long to break up with someone? If she wanted to be with me, she could have easily left him. Yet, she still hadn't. That meant I had gone wrong somewhere. I was to blame for all this…

Why had I acted so rashly then? Why couldn't I control myself? She didn't want to see me again because our proximity had scared her. Had I stopped myself then, we'd still be spending time together. I knew just the way to ruin things when they were going perfectly!

I slipped my night shirt off my back and stepped into the shower. As the warm water trickled down my face, I felt a stab of regret. I hadn't gone to see Kumiko even once in all this while. I know, she probably wasn't unwell but what if she was? That may have been an excuse to not see me but what if she was truly ill and I didn't go to meet her even once to check on her? I felt sick. Why was I always regretting my actions after I had done them? Was something really wrong with me? Back then, I didn't meet her because I felt she was just not too eager to meet me. That might be true but I could still have dropped by to check if she really wasn't well…I really felt stupid.

I hoped she had been alright all this time and didn't go through the trauma I did. Staying away from her reminded me that we only value things once we lose them from our life. It held true in my case. Not being with Kumiko made me aware of the emptiness surrounding me. It made me realize that she was my reason for living. I woke up each morning, with the hope that I would hear from her. But I waited and waited in vain. And thus passed each day – it started with me waking up, getting dressed for work, leaving for office, reaching there, working, leaving work in the evenings, returning home, watching some mindless TV, having dinner and going to bed again. The only strength that pulled me through this was Kumiko. I knew I could wait forever for an answer from her. At times I did feel negative but I called up Uchi on those occasions. And he did what a friend would – boosted me with so much optimism that I couldn't think of even one negative opportunity. In fact, he helped me remember that on the rare occasion that I spoke to Kumiko in these two weeks, that is, when she told me she wasn't well, she hadn't sounded mad or upset at all. On the contrary, she had sounded completely like herself. So maybe I was reading too much into the situation. Maybe she didn't hate me after all…

This morning too, I awoke with a silent prayer on my mind. I wanted to hear from her again. And I hoped today would be the day. Not that my patience was running low, not at all. As I've said, if it's Kumiko I'm waiting for, even forever does not mean much. Still, I didn't like being miserable like this and wanted this emotional turmoil to end soon. So I was hoping everything would get better soon…

I got out of the shower and wrapped my towel around my waist tight. My body was still moist from the shower with beads of water slipping down slowly. I toweled myself dry and slipped on a freshly ironed shirt. Glancing around my room, I noticed my phone. It flashed. There was probably an unread text message or a missed call. I grabbed it and noticed that it was a text I had received while I was showering.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw who the sender was. It was Kumiko! I blinked a few times and took a deep breath. Was this it? Would all matters settle today? I was a little afraid to read the text – what if it bore bad news? But I couldn't ignore it, could I? I had waited for days – it had to be now or never. I closed my eyes and pressed the 'open' button. I opened my eyes and read the message. It was short and didn't say much –

'_Hi Shin, we need to talk. Could you meet me this evening, at 5, outside Shirokin_?'

I took another deep breath and let out a sharp laugh. 'This isn't so bad,' I thought. While it wasn't a 'yes', at least she didn't turn me down right away. Somewhere, inside me, I knew a positive answer awaited me. Maybe it was intuition, I don't know. I smiled at my phone and was about to type out a reply to her text with a heavily relaxed mind, when my phone rang. I was hoping it was Kumiko but my hopes were dashed when I saw that it was an unknown number. I pressed the 'talk' button–

"Moshi moshi?" I said cautiously.

"!!!!!!!!!!!" a hyper, female voice screamed into my ear, "I've missed you so much!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Ai?" I repeated disbelievingly. Why was she calling me?

"Yes, my love! Have you forgotten me already? I knew I shouldn't have let you escape to Japan!" Ai said, her voice mounting in that way I was very familiar with. And though I couldn't see her, I could bet on myself that she was pouting.

"Why are you calling me at this hour, Ai? Isn't it really – " but she continued her own rant, "You didn't call me even once! Is this the way you treat me?"

"Listen, Ai. I can't talk to you at the moment. I have to leave for work soon. And I have an important text to send. So…"

"I knew you'd come up with an excuse. You always do. That's why I've come to Japan myself."

"What?!" It was as if lightning struck me. What was she doing in Japan?

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm in Japan now. There's no way I could have spoken to you over the phone without you hanging up on me. So I decided to come to Japan for you instead. Now, we can meet up and talk for hours, just like we used to before. Isn't that cool? I've missed you so much!!"

"Ai, I'm really busy. I don't think I'll be able to meet you today."

"Is it because you have to meet your girlfriend?" she asked slyly, "Want me to spill the beans on her about our grand engagement in America, my dear fiancé?"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Yes, I like being evil. So what? Kill me!! Muahahahahaha! Hope you liked the cliffhanger, people!!! Oh and also, I hope you guys liked the fan-service Shin scenes I put in – you know the "just-out-of-the-shower" scenes. I just thought that Matsujun used to be really hot back when he was Sawada Shin and I simply had to add a few special scenes for all you fangirls to nosebleed over. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed chapter seven. If you did, please review. If you didn't, still review and tell me where I can improve! I love getting your feedback!! Ok, I'll cut my rant short. Enjoy your holidays, everyone!! Hope this chapter serves as an early Christmas present!! Take care and have lots of fun!!!!! Merry Christmas!!!! Jaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!! \(^o^)/


End file.
